Building record TQ 55 SW 320 - Red House Cottages, 1,2,3, High Street, Sevenoaks

Nos. 1, 2 & 3 Red House Cottages in Austens Drive off the High Street (1686-18680 are within an extremely old terraced house, as they were once part of the 'Red House' estate( now a Grade II listed building at No. 50 High Street), which dates to 1686. These buildings could therefore be similarly dated. The terrace of three properties is formed of an L shaped building, which is shown on the OS map of 1868 as a single property. Called the 'Red House Cottage' by around 1900, it was not subdivided into the present three properties until much later. Austens Drive, the private road where the Red House Cottages are situated, was also once the entrance for the Red House stables and a likely possibility is that these were the old stables converted to separate residential accommodation around 1900. Substantial parts of the main walls of these cottages are in old ragstone, but with brick quoins. The window and door surrounds on the ground floor are also in brick. The shorter front of the L shaped building (one cottage only) has gabled windows on the first floor. The low wall covering the two sides of the enclosed garden is also mainly of ragstone with bricks built-in around the gateways. (1)

<1> Sevenoaks District Council, Sevenoaks District Council Local List of Heritage Assets (Index). SKE53505.