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Summary

Knights Cottage. Early 18th Century House

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1388364: KNIGHTS COTTAGE

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS71SE/91
• Old Listed Building Ref (II)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• COTTAGE NON SPECIFIC (XVIII to XXI - 1701 AD to 2100 AD (Between))

Full description

Child, P., 1999, Knights Cottage, West Worlington, North Devon District (Correspondence). SDV347745.

Knights Cottage falls into the most humble surviving category of a vernacular house in the county with a typical two-room plan with only one of the rooms being heated. It differs from the generality of these cottages in that the original entrance appears to be into the subsidiary room rather than the princiapl room and that the fireplace is sited laterally; the latter feature is probably the result of the cottage being attached at its upper end to the next house. An almost complete original roof survives under a more recent structure. This roof is typical of cottages of this social level, constructed largely of hedgerow timber, but in surprisingly good condition. There are no purlins and so clearly it was intended to carry thatch as the neighbouring houses in the village still do. The collars are attached to the principal rafters by two large nails and I think it would be reasonable to date the roof within the first part of the 18th century stylistically. The roof is curiously blackened, but this is probably the product of smoke leaking from a chinmey in the past, and it is not "true" smoke-blackening from any form of open hearth. The interior of the cottage has been considerably modernised, but the principal fireplace, which is presuably original, survives with a plain lintel. The fireplace contains a cloam bread oven with its original cloam door (these rarely survive) fronted with a more recent cast iron door. The street elevation contains casement windows of probably 19th century date.

English Heritage, 2011, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV347072.

Knights Cottage is a circa early 18th Century house. Rendered stone rubble and cob. Corrugated asbestos hipped roof. Lateral stack at back with rebuilt brick shaft.
Plan: 2-room plan, the larger right hand [north west] room with lateral fireplace at the back; the left hand [south east] unheated room has been subdivided and a new staircase installed. The right hand room might have been open to the roof originally. Built on a sloping site, the higher end to the right.
Exterior: 2 storeys. Asymmetrical 2-window north east front with 2-light casements with glazing bars; doorway on left with 20th Century glazed door. Various casement windows with glazing bars on the south east end and at the rear; at centre of rear [south west] there is a 20th century glazed door and to the right a small weatherboarded outshut.
Interior: the north west room has a lateral stone fireplace at the back with an unchamfered timber lintel and a cloam oven with its cloam door, over which is a cast-iron door; the floor over the north west room is more recent. The south east room has been subdivided and a staircase installed at the front. Simple collar-truss roof structure, the collars lapped and pegged to the principals, which have mortice and tenoned apexes; no common-rafters, but horizontal battens span bays between the trusses, and the thatch was laid directly on top. The whole roof structure is lightly smoke-blackened. The thatch has been removed and a modern structure has been built over the old roof.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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