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Unusual Features Of Late 18Th Early 19Th Century Cottages.

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Sellergarth | 14:12 Sun 03rd May 2015 | History
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There are two cottages near to where I live which have rather unusual features.
One cottage is very small and in one gable end, about 1 metre below the roof line, slates protrude by approx 50mm as if part of an earlier roof. Then below this are four other protrusions which are like steps.
The second much larger cottage has obviously been extended at some time or other. The main part looks `normal` so to speak with two upstairs windows and the front door in-between two downstairs windows. But an extension to one side has the bedroom window and downstairs window `off set` (if that`s the word) from each other. Also the small chimney stack of the extension is butted right up against the larger chimney stack of the main house.
Sorry if you`re confused by the descriptions, photos would obviously make things a lot clearer. What I`d like to know is: can anyone shed any light on why these buildings were constructed the way they were? Or any suggestions as to who I could possibly contact that may be able help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
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Why don't you use tinypic to post a photo?
The thing with older buildings is they often bear little resemblance to how they started out.

See if there is a local History Group, they would love to enlighten you I'm sure - Libraries are a good source for finding local interest groups too.
Just a guess, but, for the first cottage, it does sound as though there was once an external chimney built up against the gable end. No idea why they should have wanted to remove it though.

With the old traditional chimneys, it was usual to have them reducing in width as they go up the wall. As it reduces, each "shoulder" would have had a slate course built in to shed rainwater out of the main wall and run out over the sticking out bit.

The last reduced bit would have had a horizontal course of slates right across it, again to throw rainwater off the main wall.

For the second cottage, the window arrangement is likely simply to reflect the way the rooms are arranged internally. With the stack, it would have been better (though more expensive) to have enlarged the main chimney to turn it into a double flue. It must look odd as it is now.
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Many thanks for the replies. Zacs-Master, I knew nothing about tinypic so will post some photos on there and add a comment on here when done. Thanks again all.
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Hopefully uploaded photos from tinypic. Any ideas about these two cottages?[IMG]http://i60.tinypic.com/dellsg.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i59.tinypic.com/29wr0yc.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i61.tinypic.com/fz7qmo.jpg[/IMG]
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Well, that didn`t work!
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Wow! Thanks both for such prompt replies and for sorting it out for me. What was I doing wrong????
the suggestion is that there was an older building once there.

Lake District is it? Up on the north or west side?
it could have been burnt or simply rotted.....local history group may be able to shed some light on it, also start with the local library and, if Cumbria,

http://cumbriafhs.com/cgi-bin/site/main.pl
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Thanks DTCwordfan. Yes, you`re correct I am in the Lake District ... well the fringes. I`m in Barrow in Furness and the cottages are in what was once a village called Newbarns but is now an area of the town. I`ve been looking into the history of the village for some time now and the smaller cottage has always intrigued me. It has been in the same family since at least 1841 and as yet I haven`t found any reference to the cottage being rebuilt, but that doesn`t mean it hasn`t been.
I know Newbarns, originally from Kentmere, worked for McClures - use to deliver to Bowaters-Scott, about 2 miles from there.
Looks very much like the remnants of a fireplace and roof from an adjacent building.
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Thanks again DTCwordfan, small world isn`t it? Thanks also Zacs-Master. Wonder if it`s one of those things that`ll remain a mystery?

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