Building record 342 - Cottage 10 yds north of Oaktree Cottage, Swanwick Green

Grade II listed longhouse built 16th /early 17th century. It has a single storey and attic and is timber framed with brick infill and a thatched roof. A longhouse is a long low building where animals were kept alongside living accommodation. 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.