1, 2, Kingsdown Cottages, King's Somborne

Builder: The Trust with DPK Contractors and Buildings Services, Southampton

Date: 2002-2003

Built originally around 1850 as two cottages, a third cottage was soon added before the turn of the century but, by the mid 20th century, three cottages had once more become two.  Their condition slowly declined over the next 50 years until closing orders were served in 2001.  At that point, one cottage, No. 1, had been unoccupied for 12 years but both were in a state of total neglect. 

On the street side their dereliction had been the source of much grumbling by residents of King's Somborne, while the extensive gardens were not only heaped with decades of rubbish but were rodent infested.  Part of No. 1 had deteriorated to such an extent that trees were actually growing out of the walls, which had cracked and collapsed in places. 

Although undistinguished architecturally, 1 and 2, Kingsdown Cottages form a central part of the street scene in the King's Somborne Conservation Area and the Trust considered them of sufficient visual importance to make a bid for their purchase in early 2002.  With loans from the Architectural Heritage Fund, The Trust elected to act as the contractor and planning permission was approved in the summer of 2002. The ugly breeze block extension of No. 2 was demolished and, unfortunately, the brick built extension of No.1, with its collapsed walls and roof, was found to be unsafe and also had to be dismantled.  The boundary wall of No. 1 had been built on an unstable flint garden wall and required extensive underpinning. 

A new extension for No. 1 was constructed in the style of the existing building.  The entire roof was strengthened and re-slated and a brick wall was built between the two properties. The façade of the completed scheme was repainted and new shutters completed the transformation.  Both cottages now have a large patio at the rear, leading to long secluded gardens overlooking meadows where the foundations of John of Gaunt's 12th century hunting lodge are still visible. The Trust was most grateful for the co-operation of King's Somborne Parish Council in allowing hundreds of tons of waste and rubble to be removed across this land.

Internally, refurbishment included complete re-plastering, new plumbing including a new water supply and connection to the main sewer, rewiring and the installation of storage heaters.  A number of original features were retained and these included the horizontally sliding Yorkshire sash windows, some of the cast iron fireplaces and vertical wood panelling.  The restoration provided a three bedroom cottage (No. 1) and a two bedroom cottage (No. 2) that were completed in June 2003.