Oak Cottages, High Street and Lower Mead Cottage and The Firs

Oak Cottages is a block of three Tudor style timbered cottages and Lower Mead Cottage/The Firs are two similar semi-detached, cottages designed by Sir Ernest George and Peto.  They were built at some point between 1879, when Samuel Morley bought the land and 1896 when a photograph of the cottages appeared in the Studio Magazine.

All are situated in the High Street, leaving the village in the direction of Penshurst.  They are situated either side of the entrance of the allotments at Leigh.

Oak Cottages: from information received from Sandra Nicholls, the daughter of Harry Lucas, in the 1920s and 1930s Harry Lucas, Sandra’s father, her uncles Jack and Bernard and her grandparents lived at 1 Oak Cottages: at that time the roof of the cottages were thatched as seen in the two photographs below.   The second photograph – with the pram – was taken in the very early 1930s because it shows Harry Lucas’s youngest brother (Bernard Lucas) playing in the front garden.  In more recent years, Sandra’s mother-in-law lived there too.

Sandra Nicholls says she spent the first 25 years of her life living a few yards ‘down the hill’ from Oak Cottages – initially in Pear Tree Cottage which, along with another identical terrace of three cottages, was replaced by Saxby Wood in 1968/69.

The three ‘Oak Cottages’ are in neo-Tudor style – on 2 storeys, 3 wide bays. 2 right bays under deeply overhanging gables with shingled peaks.  Half-timbered 1st floor, with roughcast filling, resting on heavily moulded beam.  Set back left bay with blank, shingled 1st floor.  Red brick ground floor.  Leaded casements.  Pent porch in angle.

 

Oak Tree Cottages, situated next to Leigh allotments. Picture taken early 1930s. Cottages were thatched and in front garden is Bernard Lucas.
Oak Tree Cottages, situated next to Leigh allotments. Picture taken early 1930s. Cottages were thatched and in front garden is Bernard Lucas.

 

Oak Cottages, High Street, at entrance to the allotments
Oak Cottages, High Street, at entrance to the allotments

 

Lower Mead/The Firs: again, a neo-Tudor pair of cottages, with two storeys and attic, 3 bays.  Tiled roofs, tile hung blank 1st floor in right bvay.  Other bays gabled, with oversailing gable ends and 1st floors on moulded beams.  Geometrical half-timbering, with roughcast filling to the 1st floor.  Oriel bay windows.  Lower Mead Cottage has a pent porch on left return.

Joyce Field (updated 18.5.21)