Ivy Cottage - Lower Road
Ivy Cottage - Lower Road


In 1682, Ivy Cottage was described as an ‘ancient cottage with a garden and orchard’, owned by the Merritt family. The history of the house can be ‘read’ by looking at the west end of the building, on Tinker’s Lane, revealing several raisings of the height of the wall, roof and chimney. The original cottage is thought to date from circa 1520, but possibly earlier. It seems to have had a single story, of maybe two rooms, with storage in the roof. The original roof-structure is still intact, inside the current roof space. The original end-wall has probably always been stone, but with corners of brick, which would have been highly regarded.

In 1639, the date inscribed over the door, the cottage was ‘modernized’, with a flagstone floor and a modified timber-frame. A chute, perhaps for bales of wool, lies hidden above the current porch and goes up through two upstairs rooms into what was the original roof. It was probably blocked off in 1639 when the upper floor was created for accommodation. The brick end contains fireplaces, but also once contained the staircase. One can see where there were once windows.
In the 18th Century, an additional two rooms and cellar were added to the east end of the cottage; and in the 1950s a modern extension was added beyond that, with a flat roof. The cottage was re-thatched with water-reed in the 1970s, and this extended to cover the new extension to give a cohesive impression. The property was then listed, Grade 2, just after the construction of a single-story room to the east and rear of the 1950s extension.

Behind the cottage is a stable, originally for two horses, built circa 1840, and there were several outhouses for animals. There was a field for the horses, of one and a half acres, now the garden behind the cottage. The stable was converted into accommodation in the 1970s by the Websters, who sold Ivy Cottage to the Baileys in 2004.

The cottage was then modernized, with new utilities; and a conservatory was built, linking the stable and the cottage, to unify the accommodation.

Historic England listing



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Bratton History Association.

The Bratton History Association aims to provide all those curious about local history with an opportunity to meet, exchange ideas, and discover more about the history of Bratton and Wiltshire. Activities include monthly meetings, talks by professional historians, visits to places of interest to historians, and our own local history project.

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