Property description
No6 is a grade II listed semi-detached cottage, built circa 1840, of coursed squared limestone with slate roof and brick ridge stack. The property has previously been the subject of many an alteration including an upstairs bathroom and kitchen extension to the rear of the property. A previous historic building survey carried out in advance of previous adaptions concluded that apart from the basic structure of the house few internal features remain.
Historic / aesthetic / communal value
Former Grafton estate cottages, two storeys high with 2 light Gothic style casement windows with chamfered stone jambs and lintels. 4 panel entrance door set to one side with gabled porch and chamfered stone lintel. Plinth, storey band and projecting wood eaves. The property is not in a conservation area but within close vicinity to other listed buildings including a Parish church with first world war memorial and a thatched cottage.
The oldest surviving properties within the village all date from the 17th and 18th centuries and are built of coursed rubble limestone. Properties within the immediately locality follow this pattern except for a row of three terraced houses immediately to the north of the subject building. An access road to the row of terraced houses and garages runs along the side of No6.
Evidential Value
Research of Historic Environment Records (HERS) indicates the village name is derived from 'Hart spring / stream' and the nearby forest has a rich history that dates back to medieval times as a Royal hunting ground and timber source for ship building.
By 1830 the piecemeal enclosure of the medieval open fields led to the establishment of isolated farmsteads adjoining the village. There was a gradual increase in the number of cottages in the village from about 30 at the end of the 18th century to twice that number by 1875.
As originally constructed the estate cottages are a physical testament to a 'two down, three up' plan, common to agricultural and industrial workers in the 19th century. Whilst subsequent changes to the interior and exterior have removed most of the original features of the building their spatial relationship and plan form have remained largely unaltered since construction as evidenced by historic maps.
Proposal
In the context of Historic England Advice Note 18 - Adapting Historic Buildings for Energy and Carbon Efficiency dated July 2024, the owners sought to improve the energy / cost efficiency and thermal comfort of the single storey rear addition and to reinstate the kitchen to the rear room of the original house to increase views and enjoyment of the rear garden from inside the house. This included rebuilding, and extending the lean-to rear addition, with high level windows below a new roof.
In respect of harm, the severity arising would be relatively minor given the changes related predominantly to the single storey rear addition and not the original house. Previous application drawings indicated this structure had been altered many times before including the formation and infilling of various openings. The exterior walls were little more than rendered single skin brickwork with minimal amounts of insulation. Reinstating the kitchen to the rear room of the original house would reverse a previous alteration and better reveal the exposed stonework inside.
Guidance consulted when approaching the retrofit design
Historic England Publications
NPPF 2021
Historic Environment Records (HER)
LPA / Conservation Officer
Design guide for extensions
Discoveries that caused the initial design to be revised
Demolition of the cloakroom revealed the end wall of the lean-to addition was severely dilapidated and structurally unstable. Similarly, about one third of the lean-to roof structure had been badly constructed. This increased the extent of new foundation work and re-building.
