Cottage

Cottage is a vaguely defined term used in the British Isles for old, mostly small houses, which are mainly found in rural areas and are characterised by a traditional building style with historic building elements. Characteristic features of cottages include thatched roofs, slate roofs, wooden doors, wooden window frames, timber framing, natural stone walls, and more rarely red brick or lime render. Typical cottage interior features include low ceilings, exposed ceiling beams, wooden floors or open fireplaces. Attached to the cottage is typically a "cottage garden," a small, overgrown garden where native ornamental and useful plants are often allowed to spread freely.

Many cottages were built mainly of natural stone and covered with thatch ("thatched cottage"). Since straw has a shorter life span than thatch, thatch was later used, which in more recent times was again replaced by durable granite shingles or corrugated iron.

Originally, the cottages were inhabited by tenants, simple farmers and fishermen with their families. Until the middle of the 20th century, these houses had neither electricity nor running water. Traditionally, the only source of heat was the fireplace, which was not efficient due to the lack of insulation, but there was no alternative. Heating was provided by peat, which, due to a centuries-old law, can still be extracted from the moors by anyone free of charge. The cottages often consisted only of a cooking and living room and a bedroom. In the old days, the few cattle were often kept in the house, as they provided an additional source of heat in winter.

Many of the old cottages have been renovated in recent years and modernized to the latest standards. They are often used as holiday homes or rented out to tourists.

See also

• Kate (cottage)