This work follows the guidelines in Standard and Guidance for the Archaeological Investigation and Recording of Standing Buildings or Structures (CIfA 2020), Understanding Historic Buildings: A Guide to Good Recording Processes (Historic England 2016), and as well as the DCHET Specification for Historic Building Evaluation (2023). The discussion of the setting follows the approach outlined in the appropriate guidance (Historic England 2017). The historic building appraisal was conducted by E. Wapshott and S. Stevens on 9th April 2024. A detailed inspection of the property took place and written and photographic records were made. In terms of the structure of this report, the historic buildings are described first (Sections 2.0-3.0), privileging the testimony of the historic fabric. The desk-based research follows (Section 4.0), concluding with analysis and interpretation (Section 5.0). LIMITATIONS AND CAVEATS This is an assessment document based on fieldwork spanning a single day. The results of this work can be regarded as reliable, but further and more detailed analysis may clarify or amend the interpretation offered here. Access to the roofspace was not possible, and therefore the roof trusses - which can reasonably be expected to provide good dating evidence for the build of the roof - were not fully accessible. Addendum Nov 2025 - Works are being undertaken to restore the cottage and this has led to the removal of the failing plaster ceilings on the first floor. This has exposed the historic roof, which requires some structural work and repair. This addendum report considers the evidence of the roof, in the context of the building appraisal undertaken in 2024i; providing an expert opinion on the age, form and significance of the roof and thatch. A schematic of the roof was provided by the client for use in aging the various elements, it is for illustrative purposes only, not to scale. Honeysuckle Cottage stands on a side lane (Gubbins Lane) that runs back from South Street in the historic core of the village of Braunton. The long, narrow strips running back from South Street have the superficial appearance of burgage plots, and it is likely Honeysuckle Cottage was inserted into a subdivision of one of these 'burgage' plots. The historic building assessment undertaken would suggest the earliest fabric within the building dates to the second half of the 17th century, contra the Listing which states the cottage is 18th century in date. The cottage has undergone a series of changes since the smaller, low one-and-a-half storey building with sleeping loft was constructed. The walls have been raised, a new fireplace installed, a new internal layout, and a range of outbuildings constructed. It appears likely that, in the later 18th or 19th century it was converted into a pair of smaller dwellings, reflecting the loss of rural housing at that time, and the increasing density of housing in the larger rural settlements. The most interesting feature of the cottage are the taper-burn marks and other apotropaic marks on the two hearth bressumer beams and on one roof truss. These strongly reflect local superstition and folklore. The historic outbuildings were largely built between 1887 and 1903 and survive in varying states of repair. 2025 Addendum - The thatch on the roof may be 19th century in places, and is of several phases and is very thick, suggesting there are at least two or more likely three layers of 20th century thatch and repair. The roof structure shows evidence form the 17th -19th centuries, echoing the interpreted phasing of the cottage and is of good rustic vernacular form.
Wapshott et al. (Wed,) studied this question.