Building record 1095100000 - 4 NORTH MARSTON ROAD

Grade II. Cottage. C16-C17, possibly earlier, altered. Whitewashed brick over timber frame. Roof has corrugated iron over thatch, thin brick chimney to centre and later external brick chimney to right. One storey and attic, 2 bays. Front has paired C20 metal casements. Entry in lean-to extension to rear. Gable to street has similar casements to both floors and flush panelled door in lean-to to left. Interior: ground floor room to right has deeply chamfered and stopped spine beam and traces of paintings on beams in centre wall; timber framed fireplace with lathe and plaster infill, the upper part incorporating curved timber, possibly once part of cruck beam; spiral staircase in line with fireplace (B1).
Originally a late medieval dwelling with two bays flanking a central smoke bay, 4 Marston Road has undergone fairly substantial alterations, initially in the 17th century and again in the early – mid 20th century resulting in the loss of much of the original fabric. No trace of the 16th-century fabric is visible externally. With the construction of the outshot and insertion of the stair and chimneys in the early – mid 17th century, the original southern external wall was largely demolished, surviving only in rooms G6 / G2. The smoke bays were either incorporated into the central chimney or knocked through to create new access points. This phase of work was also accompanied by an extension of the roof over the outshot with new rafters and ceiling joists as well as a re-thatching of the structure. (B2).