Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Early twentieth century agricultural workers cottages.

Monument Types

• HOUSE (Post Medieval to Modern - 1900 AD? to 2050 AD (between))

Full description

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From Historic England Report:

Historic Ordnance Survey maps show that Paley Mill still occupied part of the site of Mill Cottage in 1898
when the Second Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1898 was published. The present building first appears on
the 1908 Third Edition map as a pair of L-shaped cottages with a pair of detached outbuildings to the rear. As
Paley Mill had been demolished before the cottages were erected the cottages had no connection with the
mill and were probably built as agricultural workers' cottages to the nearby farm along Paley Lane. Later in
the C20 the two cottages were amalgamated and the rear outbuildings were linked to it.

As a pair of agricultural cottages built circa 1900 these fall into the date range where progressively greater
selection is necessary. Large numbers of such cottages were built and survive and need to be of special
architectural merit to be selected for statutory listing.

Mill Cottage is constructed of local materials, the ground floor of brick in English bond with red brick
stretchers and grey brick headers, the first floor of light timber-framing clad in weatherboarding with a
half-hipped tiled roof and with single storey outbuildings constructed of similar materials. However it is
architecturally plain, the only decoration provided by the change of brick colour in alternate courses, the row
of exposed rafter feet and plain barge-boards to the end gables. Inspection of part of the interior revealed no
particular fittings and fixtures of note.

Externally the original casement windows survive and there is little evidence of alterations. However the
original plan form has been altered by the amalgamation of two cottages into one and the later C20 linking of
the formerly separate outbuildings to the main house.

Mill Cottage adjoins Roadside and Stream Cottage but it was constructed at a much later date than these
cottages.

As an architecturally modest circa 1900 pair of agricultural workers cottages with altered plan form Mill
Cottage does not meet the listing criteria for this building type.

History

The 1870 First Edition Ordnance Survey map shows a building partly occupying the site of Mill Cottage which
is overhanging the stream. This is labelled Paley Mill, a water mill for grinding corn. Paley Mill is still shown on
the 1898 second Edition Ordnance Survey map but at some time between then and the 1908 Third Edition
map the corn mill was demolished and was replaced by a pair of L-shaped semi-detached agricultural
cottages with a pair of detached outbuildings to the rear.
Subsequently this pair became one property and the rear outbuildings have been linked to it.

Details
A pair of agricultural cottages of circa 1900 with outbuildings, amalgamated into one property later in the C20.

MATERIALS: the ground floor is a mixture of red and grey brick in English bond, the upper floor is
weather-boarded over a timber frame. It has a half-hipped tiled roof with a central brick chimneystack.

PLAN: originally each cottage had one living room at the front and a kitchen to the rear with two rooms on the
first floor and an attic room, but the building is now in one ownership.

EXTERIOR: the north-east or front elevation has one casement window to the first floor and three casement
windows to the ground floor. The side elevations have wooden casement windows on the ground and attic
floors. Access is now by a door in the narrower part of the south-east side. The linked outbuildings are
single-storeyed.

INTERIOR: the south-eastern ground floor room contained no features of special interest. (1).

<1> historic england, 2015, Mill Cottage and Stream Cottage, Cranbrook (Unpublished document). SKE31391.

Sources and further reading