Cherry Tree Cottage
in 1997/8
We first viewed the property in August 1997 and it became ours in April
1998. During that time the property was untouched. The cottage
had newly painted walls and a galvanised roof. Inside the cottage were
the following rooms: a kitchen, dining room, lounge, a small porch area
and behind it a small room (probably a store room).
All timbers, whether they
were the doors, roof beams or window frames suffered woodworm damage, rot,
or both. Most window
panes had cracks, or missing pieces. The floors were uneven and in
some rooms the concrete was so thin that soil was exposed. The plaster
on most walls was damp and crumbling away.
The fireplace in the kitchen was made of stone.
The fireplace in the lounge was made of iron and had a crack running
through it (welded at a later date). The fireplace in the dining room
was made of wood! Next to the
fire place in the lounge was a hot press (airing cupboard). The chimneys
weren't lined - they were lined at a later date.
The walls of the cottage were approximately
three feet thick. There was
a thin layer of plaster on both the inside and outside walls. The
middle part was made of huge stones held together with a soil infill.
There was a hatch in the kitchen ceiling
which lead to the loft. The loft had almost standing headroom and there
was a small window in the western gable end. Neighbours had informed
me that this served as a bedroom.
There was a thick layer of greenery next to
the back wall, where ivy and briars poked through windows and crept underneath
the galvanised roof. Also next to the back wall was a trench that
seemed permanently full of water and made the inside walls damp.
When we think about the condition of the
cottage when we first saw it we wonder what potential we thought we saw!
