Niton Cottage

Niton Cottage is timber-framed with a brick fascia construction at the front and chalk blocks (clunch) making up the back section. Under the front section of the house is a cellar with a head-height of approximately five feet (1.5m).

On purchasing Niton Cottage in July 2004 we were presented with archive material relating to the history of the house. The first mention of the cottage that we can find is in the Last Will and Testament of Ann Walduck (1803), dividing her property of houses, tenements, land and barn between her children, along with her bed, bedstead, one pair of sheets, furniture and clothing attire! The land at that time at the back of the cottage extended as far as Back Street. This information dates the original building to at least the late 1700s.

The barn referred to above is still standing and was used as the kitchen/washhouse prior to the new single storey extension which was added at a much later date.

In 1879 a Shoemaker’s Shop existed in what is now the garden, the footings of which we discovered when laying some new turf. There was also a covered walkway at the side of the house which, presumably, gave access to the shop. This side access was latterly closed in and incorporated into the main building, thereby enlarging the ground floor living area.

In 2005 we constructed a new opening for a window to the left of the front door to match the existing windows, thus ‘evening up’ the look of the house. In 2008 we built a two storey side extension to add a further bedroom and garden room.

Thank you for your interest in our home and village.

Updated March 2011