MEM22209 - Ye Olde Cottage, Doverhay, Porlock (Building)

The cottage may have originated as an open hall house and contains smoke blackening in the roofspace. It appears that a new roof was added to the property when the old truss dropped to the side, possibly in the 17th Century.

South of the junction of Villes Lane and Dunster Steep are further cottage groups... The earliest, probably 17th century, has a square-section front lateral stack. [1] The house is probably 17th Century but has subsequently been altered, no longer being thatched. [2] The survey was undertaken in September 2014 by the SANHS Building Research Group (Exmoor and West Somerset). The house is not listed but may originally have been of one room, or with a cross passage in line with the current front door. The walls are of cob above a stone plinth. The interior features evidence for cruck and jointed cruck framing and a fireplace which includes a window to at least one side, with a lateral stack facing the road in front of the property. The remains of the original roof structure include heavy smoke blackening. It is thought the house dates to the late 15th or early 16th Century, with the chimney possibly added as late as the 17th Century. A secondary roof structure may have also been added to the property at this time, possibly when the original dropped to one side. [3] The heritage asset was assessed for inclusion on the Exmoor Local Heritage List in November 2022. It was decided to add the asset to the Local Heritage List. [4]