34a Northill Road July 2010

34a Northill Road, formerly called Cople Cottage, was listed by English Heritage in May 1984 as Grade II, of special interest. The property dates from the 17th century with 19th and 20th century additions. It was originally the gardener’s cottage to Cople House; the cottage is located at the north-east corner of the former kitchen garden, the enclosing walls of which are extant. The property is constructed of colour washed roughcast over a timber frame under an old clay tile roof. It was extended in the 19th century to incorporate an outbuilding, adding a storey to it.

The Rating and Valuation Act 1925 specified that every building and piece of land in the country was to be assessed to determine its rateable value. Like most of the countyCople was assessed in 1927. The valuer visiting Cople Cottage [DV1/C49/129], 85 and 86 The Village, as it was then called, found it owned and occupied by Mrs. T. Barnard. The property was, in those days, simply the building the gable of which juts out towards Northill Road, the other building, adjoining to the north was not then constructed. Accommodation comprised two reception rooms and a kitchen with four bedrooms and a bathroom with hot and cold water above. A washhouse and barn stood outside and the whole site comprised just under a quarter of an acre.

The northernmost building was built around the middle of the 20th century as part of Cople Cottage. About 2005, however, it became a separate residence and is now numbered 34b Northill Road.