YEW TREE COTTAGE
Yew Tree Cottage was one of the eight listed buildings in the village. It was de-listed in 2022.
It was previously three cottages, numbered 178, 178, 179 The Street.
It was a Grade II listed building and the citation records a 17th-18th Century timber framed and plastered house. 1 storey and attics. It has 20th Century casement windows and Boarded doors. Thye roof is thatched, with 3 sloping roof dormers. Dilapidated and under repair at time of survey [1974] it was restored and then sold and completely guttted to be modernised in 2020 before being left to rot and knocked down.
The cottage is situated along The Street, Great Bradley. The cottage has a distinctive character and the principal elevation is a prominent feature of the street scene. The cottage is a two storey single dwelling consisting of externally rendered timber framed walls on plinth, timber framed fenestration and thatched roof.
The property was sold by the Great Bradley estate in 1963 as three farm cottages. Since then the building had been converted into a single dwelling and the roof structure had been altered and raised to provide the required headroom for the rooms on the first floor.
In more recent years, the property has also been modified with modern additions to the rear of the property. The dwelling as it stands today is in a dilapidated state having fallen into significant disrepair over recent years. Historical analysis of Yew Tree Cottage indicates that the there are many modern additions to the dwelling as it presently stands. The existing staircase is a modern staircase recently added to the cottage. The discovery of the old front door at the base of the smaller staircase suggests that this does not form part of the original building and that the building had been significantly altered in the 1960s and 1970s. Through ongoing discussions with the local authority conservation team it has become clear that neither staircase in the house form part of the original fabric of the building. It was discovered that the roof had been significantly altered in the 1970’s with a whole new roof structure and the removal of the existing wall plate. The first floor walls to the rear of the property are all modern additions and do not form part of the original cottage.
In 2016 the cottage was reaquired by the Great Bradley Estate then sold again.
Click the images to get a fuller picture
It was previously three cottages, numbered 178, 178, 179 The Street.
It was a Grade II listed building and the citation records a 17th-18th Century timber framed and plastered house. 1 storey and attics. It has 20th Century casement windows and Boarded doors. Thye roof is thatched, with 3 sloping roof dormers. Dilapidated and under repair at time of survey [1974] it was restored and then sold and completely guttted to be modernised in 2020 before being left to rot and knocked down.
The cottage is situated along The Street, Great Bradley. The cottage has a distinctive character and the principal elevation is a prominent feature of the street scene. The cottage is a two storey single dwelling consisting of externally rendered timber framed walls on plinth, timber framed fenestration and thatched roof.
The property was sold by the Great Bradley estate in 1963 as three farm cottages. Since then the building had been converted into a single dwelling and the roof structure had been altered and raised to provide the required headroom for the rooms on the first floor.
In more recent years, the property has also been modified with modern additions to the rear of the property. The dwelling as it stands today is in a dilapidated state having fallen into significant disrepair over recent years. Historical analysis of Yew Tree Cottage indicates that the there are many modern additions to the dwelling as it presently stands. The existing staircase is a modern staircase recently added to the cottage. The discovery of the old front door at the base of the smaller staircase suggests that this does not form part of the original building and that the building had been significantly altered in the 1960s and 1970s. Through ongoing discussions with the local authority conservation team it has become clear that neither staircase in the house form part of the original fabric of the building. It was discovered that the roof had been significantly altered in the 1970’s with a whole new roof structure and the removal of the existing wall plate. The first floor walls to the rear of the property are all modern additions and do not form part of the original cottage.
In 2016 the cottage was reaquired by the Great Bradley Estate then sold again.
Click the images to get a fuller picture
The pictures show the cottage in the 1940s and 50s
Pictures from the 1970s - 1990s
The 2000s
2016 Proposed development of 9 Houses
In 2016 following the death of the owner, the Great Bradley estate bought the cottage in an auction and propsed a redevelopment of the site with 9 new houses. Although some people welcomed the opportunity to have more housing in the village, particlualy as some of the housing was to be designated as 'affordable housing', a lot of people werre against the development. This was in part, beacuse the plans showed that the houses would be built beyond the designated border of the village. The palns were subsequently withdrawn.
For more information see the village achive
For more information see the village achive
Proposals for Redevelopment 2018 - 2020
In 2017 further development plans were put forward, but this time it was just for the development of Yew Tree Cottage.
Redevelopment - 2020/21
The new owners started to renovate the building. The external garage was knocked down and the rear wall was opened up. Some internal repairs were made to some of the ceilings and walls
A Bread Oven has been uncovered in the cottage
2021 - 2024 the building was left to rot so it could be redeveloped
The owner, Chelsea Marie Banham, is a horse racing trainers based at Mulligan's Yard in the next door village of Cowlinge. She, or her company presumably let the building rot and go into disrepair with the objective of redeloping it. They also got the listed building status revoked. This is considered by some people to be a deliberate act of vandalism, wiping out some 400 years of history.
FINAL DESTRUCTION
In September 2024, some 400 years of history was wiped out when Yew Tree Cottage was pulled down.
