Lilac Farm Cottage, High Street.

By David Miller

This cottage was formerly occupied by Clifford Breed, one of the Breeds who farmed Lilac Farm.  He died in 2006,  and up to a few years before his death, he kept a few cows on the field opposite this cottage, bringing them in to the cow sheds beside the cottage at night.

For details of the farming operations in days gone by, please refer to Farms and Farming under 'Topics' on this website.

For the listing details, see here.  It is possible that the date of the cottage is somewhat later than that given in the Historic Monuments list, as the general proportions and layout of the buildings point to a build date of 1700 or later.  On the other hand, there is a building shown in the right location on the Chicheley map of c.1686, and the timberwork compares closely with other properties of the early 1600 period.

The opportunity was taken before restoration was started to photograph the inside of this cottage.  It must have been an enormous job to wallpaper over all those beams!  But at least there could be no draughts! Most of the photos were taken in 2007. The 'after' photos were taken in 2013. Many layers of wallpaper and paint have been removed!

The sliding sash window is typical of the sort which is to be found in many old properties in this village.