Heritage Statement
Proposed conversion of dovecote into an annexe at 41 Main Street, Bretforton .
1.
41 Main Street is a 3 storey Cotswold stone house and is grade 2* Listed.
It adjoins Centre Farm which fronts on to Whitford Close on the one side, and on the other side is attached to The Barn by a dovecote which is within the house curtilege. The house fronts Main Street and overlooks a field opposite.
2.
The dovecote is empty and it is in need of continuing maintenance to prevent the structure deteriorating. The proposal is to convert it into a habitable annexe to the house. This will provide an opportunity to improve the structural stability and ensure future maintenance of this building.
3.
The history of the building is as follows, (to the best of my knowledge). The adjoining barn was originally thatched and of timber frame on a stone plinth.
The end bay of the barn attached to the dovecote was largely rebuilt when it was converted in 1975and this showed that the dovecote was an infill construction between the barn and the house as it does not have side walls except where it rises above the roof of the barn. The age of the barn is probably 16-17C and the house and dovecote a bit later. The dovecote building is largely unchanged and the upper floors are now only open joists.
At some time the building may have been habited as a substantial fireplace and chimney separate from the main walls is evident, (the external chimney to this was demolished about 10 years ago). At the time of the barn conversion in
1974 the house and dovecote was divided into 2 dwellings with the ground floor of the dovecote forming a bathroom and kitchen with a window on the front which has since been changed to a door. This house was then 39 Main
Street. When the house was restored to a single unit in about 1978, the barn conversion adopted the number 39.
4.
The structure of the dovecote is lias rubble stone walls on the front and back with side half timbered wall and gable truss with brick infill. The roof is supported by cross purlins one of which is cracked and supported by a temporary prop. The roof has stone slates on the front and ARC reconstructed slates on the rear slope. The half timber gable has brick infill panels.
5.
Bretforton has 5 dovecotes, 2 of which have been converted to habitable use.
The one nearest to the subject dovecote in size and form is at the rear of
Squires Court which has been successfully converted into a house annexe.
6.
Photographs of the building are attached.
7.
The proposal is described in the attached sketch plans and elevations. There are no structural alterations required. The proposed use is extra accommodation for the house in the form of a ‘granny annexe’. There are no changes to existing car parking, garden provisions or external appearance except for the minor alterations shown on the drawings.
8.
The proposal will provide a practical use for this building and ensure its continued maintenance without affecting its historical integrity and its contribution to the character of the Bretforton Conservation Area.