Building record 1712 - Nos. 1 & 2 Bickley Town Cottages

Nos. 1 and 2 Bickley Town Cottages were originally an early 17th century farmhouse that was divided into two separate cottages in the mid 19th century. It is of small timber framed construction with brick nogging infill, though much has now been replaced in brick (painted as framing). It has a tiled roof which was formerly thatched and is two storeys high. Each cottage has a one-storey 19th century gabled shed at the rear which are brick painted as timber framing. The sheds appear to have been built as small buildings in the mid 19th century when the Marquees of Cholmondeley was active in the movement to give plots of land to farm workers. Wood was in plentiful supply as a building material in Britain until the 17th century. It was therefore the most practical material for house building. Timber framed buildings consist of a wooden framework (usually oak) that was infilled to create solid walls. Infill material used included wattle and daub, lath and plaster, brick and weather board. Brick nogging, (brick infill) was often used in the 17th and 18th centuries to replace earlier wattle and daub or lath and plaster infill as it was longer lasting.