HILDENBOROUGH NIZELS LANE (west side) TQ 55 SW 1/161 Nizels Cottage 20.10.54 GV II* House. Circa late C15/early C16 with circa mid C17 alterations, C20 rear addition. Framed construction, the ground floor with brick infill of various dates, the first floor tile-hung; peg-tile roof; brick stacks. Plan and Development: A south-facing house of the Wealden type. The original arrangement was an open hall in the centre flanked by jettied, storeyed ends with a through passage entrance within the lower (east) end. The lower end, beyond the passage, was divided between 2 service rooms, presumably buttery and pantry. The lower end is jettied to the front only, the higher end both on the front and left (west) return. A newel stair to the first floor of the lower end may be original. The hall was floored over the circa mid C17 with an axial stack inserted, backing on to the passage. Later alterations involved the removal of the lower side passage partition, the partition between buttery and pantry and the addition of a lower end fireplace back-to- back with the hall fireplace. The higher end ground floor room was divided into 2, with a left (west) end stack added, heating the front (south) room. Some of these alterations may be associated with the subdivision of the house into 3 cottages for which there is evidence in a circa 1900 photograph in the possession of the owners. A late C20 single-storey kitchen wing has been added to the rear of the higher end, at right angles, and a late C20 straight flight stair introduced into the hall against the higher end partition. Exterior: 2 storeys. Slightly asymmetrical 3-window front, jettied to left and right with, over the hall, a flying bressumer with braces of massive scantling and intact coving. Roof hipped and gabletted at ends. C20 plank door into the hall to left of centre. The original entrance to the former passage, below the right hand jetty, is blocked but preserves its chamfered oak lintel. C20 timber casements of 2-, 4- and 6-lights. The dragon beam at the front left corner is supported on a massive brace with a shallow moulded capital below the springing. The axial hall stack has a handmade brick shaft and moulded cap. On the rear elevation the position of the rear doorway to the through passage is visible in the framing. Interior: The hall has a large C17 open fireplace with stone jambs and a moulded chamfered oak lintel. The C17 ceiling is supported on a longitudinal chamfered beam with step jewel stops and chamfered joists. The late medieval framing of the higher end partition is exposed. It forms an impressive design of massive scantling with tension braces. An order of reeded moulding, matching the fireplace lintel, has been added to the middle rail. The ground floor higher end room has a dragon beam, the joists concealed, and is divided by a secondary framed partition. The lower end ground floor room has exposed ceiling carpentry with original late medieval joists. The positions of the former lower side passage partition and the partition between buttery and pantry are evident from redundant mortises. A chamfered lintel with step stops half way down the former passage indicates a former doorway. An oak newel stair rises against the rear wall, aligned with the inserted stack, giving access to the first floor of the lower end, which preserves the evidence of former windows with sliding shutters. The higher end chamber preserves a late medieval unglazed 4-light window with oak stanchions, blocked externally, on the rear (north) wall, with evidence of a similar window in the framing of the front wall. C16 and C17 wide oak floorboards survive throughout the first floor. Roof: Although not entirely complete the late Medieval crown post roof survives, heavily smoke-blackened over the hall. The lower and higher end partitions are also heavily sooted, each with a crown post buried in them. Each crown post has a plain top and was originally braced 4 ways with up braces to the collar purlin and cranked braces down to the tie-beam. The collar purlin has been replaced although a stub of the original survives towards the lower end partition, truncated by the insertion of the hall stack which projects through the roof to one side of the ridge. The common rafter collars have lap dovetail joints, the pair of raffters in the centre of the hall is missing. A well-preserved Wealden house, most of the medieval frame and roof intact, with a good interior. Listing NGR: TQ5452650091