Building record 1320713000 - BLACK BOY COTTAGE

Grade II. C18, much restored. Red brick, old tiled roof. 2 storeys, ground floor double hung sash window, 1st floor casement, both flush set with glazing bars. Modern door and left hand single storey 1 window wing. Graded II for group value. Outbuildings adjoining No 2 on West, Nos 2 to 5 (consec), Nos 7 to 9 (consec), The Swan Public House, West Wycombe Branch County Library, Nos 10 to 13 (consec), No 15, Black Boy Cottage, The George and Dragon Inn and Nos 16 to 23 (consec) form a group (B1).

Black Boy Cottage was originally constructed as a coach house to the rear of what was a coaching inn. Known as both 'The Unicorn Inn' and ' The Black Boy and Unicorn' in documents from 1767, and by 1808 'The Black Boy' (B2).

Roof consists of 16 pairs of common rafters, with pair of prinicple rafters to the centre of the roof and a pair to each gable end, with two purlins to each slope. There is no ridge piece to the roof. The rafters bridle-jointed at the apex and occasional pairs are also pegged. Evidence of re-used timber with some empty mortice joints. Carpenters marks visible on lower timbers of both slopes. Marks on the south slope are not reflected on the surrounding timbers, and so can be assumed to be from it's former use. Marks on the north slope consecutively number alternate sets of timbers from west to east. Above the rafters they are a less consistent system which may iondicate more widespread re-use, however, the upper faces are heavily degraded and may represent incomplete marks.(B2).