THE COTTAGE

This little house is going to be our home. It is tiny, not more than a room on each floor, but if the Scoundrel and Seth don't get any chubbier, we won’t need a lot of space.

 

The house used to be much longer. It stretched all the way across the little stream where the eel trap is. We think there might have once been an internal eel house chamber (“fish house” is listed on the 1838 valuation of settlements).

 

When the “new” millers house and the kilns were built on the main road, this little cottage was likely left for the kilnman and his family. We think the rest of it was taken down then, on purpose, to avoid paying tax (anything above 6 openings was liable). A little remnant of the long house was kept and used at a store while the site was still operational, but we think it could have been used as a smokehouse (for the eels) prior to that. It has a fireplace that remained from the earlier construction and charred wood is embedded in the walls. 
It’ll be initially used as a catio. But we think we might, in the future, extend the house to the side, as it might have been in the past. It could accommodate a little study or a guest room, but it’s currently quite low down on the list of priorities.

 

Any extension will probably be contemporary, while the cottage will mostly be restored like-for-like externally. While we haven't started drawing up any plans for the inside, wary of being heartbroken if the purchase fell through, we couldn't quite avoid thinking about it altogether. As an outline we are thinking about turning this into an "upside down house", with the bedroom downstair where headroom is limited, and a living space upstair, where we can take advantage of the raftered ceiling and, subject to planning, maybe some additional openings to the rear.

​

But, getting back to reality, the priorities for the next few months and before spring 2023 are: 

​

• prop the first floor and go inspect the "upstairs"  ✓

• clear the upstairs  ✓

• remove vegetation from masonry below roof​  ✓

• patch up roof on a temporary basis  ✓

• board up windows and doors​  ✓

​​

Works done in 2023: 

​

• build wetland  ✓

• connect to septic tank​  ✓

• get planning for gable window and internal layouts (if needed)​  ✓

​

Works anticipated in 2024: 

​

• rebuild chimneys  ✓

• repair masonry  - in progress

• new doors and windows

• repair roof  - in progress

• connect all services  - in progress

• build plant room  - in progress

• make liveable  - in progress