page_title: The Cottage in Thorpe, Surrey
section_title: The original house
hierarchical_section_title: The Cottage in Thorpe, Surrey / History / The original house
caption_attribution_description: English: Sketch of a timber framed house at Weal and Downland museum
context_page_description: The Cottage is the oldest home in Thorpe, Surrey, and dates from 1490 when Henry VIII was king of England. Built when there was a plentiful supply of timber, it is a substantial timber framed house with brick panels and during the last 500 years it has evolved and grown to what is now a quintessential English Chocolate Box Cottage.
  Elevated above the surrounding fields, bounded by rich woodlands and close to the river, the site of the Cottage is a perfect location for a nobleman of 1490 and the Cottage is the heart of the village. It had the village forge and blacksmiths in its garden, next door is The Red Lion Inn and opposite is the old post office.
context_section_description: In 1490 the left hand side of the house was built using timber framing, brick panels and strong diagonal braces. A similar type of construction was used in one of the houses at the Weald and Downland Museum, Sussex. Because bricks were a relatively new way of building they were not yet trusted to take the whole weight of the house; this is why timber was used for the main strength of the house.
  The original timbers are thought to come from an earlier house on the site. The same type of carpenters' marks are on the rear timber frame and one of the main cross braces, suggesting that they were crafted by the same carpenter.
  The original front door led into a large open room with a fire in the centre for cooking. This was open all the way to the roof. There is evidence of soot covering some of the timbers on the first floor. To the left were two domestic rooms and a room above.
caption: Timber framed house with bracing, 1500s
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