Compton Cottage - 12 Ivy Lane Wilshamstead

12 Ivy Lane March 2012

Compton Cottage is the only property of any great age in Ivy Lane. It was listed by English Heritage in May 1984 as Grade II, of special interest. The cottage is 18th century and built of colourwashed roughcast render over a timber frame and comprises a single storey with attics beneath a thatched roof. The windows and porch are 20th century as are lean-to additions to the rear.

The cottage formed part of the Haynes Estate owned by the Lords Carteret suggesting that it was built by Lord of the Manor of Wilshamstead. The estate was put up for sale by auction in July 1914 [Z720/1/16] and the cottage was described as: “The Freehold Rough-cast and Thatched Detached Cottage, with Garden, known as 133 Ivy Lane, containing Living Room, Kitchen, Lean-to Scullery, two Bed Rooms, and Barn outside. Let at £4 10s. 0d. per annum”.

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 county, Wilshamstead was largely assessed in 1927 and the valuer visiting the cottage [DV1/C66/9] found it owned by A. Cooke and occupied by B. Cole, whose rent was £3/5/- per annum. Interestingly, the property is described as brick and slate, rather than plaster and thatch. There is a plastered and thatched building but this reference [DV1/C66/8] is to a cottage which has disappeared but would be in the front garden of today’s Number 10, unless the valuer swapped the two over, an unlikely, but possible, occurrence, however, the occupier of Number 12 is given as Benjamin Cole in the 1910 Domesday Survey so it seems that if the valuer did confuse the description of the two cottages he did not confuse the occupiers.

Accommodation for the brick and slate cottage is described as being a living room and kitchen with a bedroom and boxroom above. The plastered and thatched cottage had similar accommodation but with the addition of a parlour downstairs.