Holiday Cottage in the Cotswolds

The front entrance on the ground floor was on the north side, now the fire exit. The two windows are in their original sites; there would have been a third on the south facing wall & possibly a door to the outside and privy. The brick floor was removed when modernisation and damp proofing took place in 1990. The fireplace was in the corner by the side of the wardrobe. Where the shower is, there would have been a steep staircase to the room above. This room would have been a bedroom for the whole family. The fireplace is as it was although the chimney was sealed in about 1820. To the right of the fireplace, the original wall plate can be seen, depicting the original ceiling height. The three openings on this floor were all windows. What is now the front door was converted into a barley door, probably in the early 19th century when a lot of work apparently took place. This building was used as a brewery and had no floor between the two rooms when the present owners bought it in 1978.

The house was built in 1669 and was attached to the �cottage�. The stables across the road were built a little later. It is thought the house was used as a clothiers meeting place, with the owner entertaining his guests with home made ale. This then progressed into an alehouse, with the landlord brewing his own beer. The Yew Tree Inn is mentioned in The Victorian Guide to the County of Gloucestershire. The landlord was the third most important man in the community, the other two being the Vicar and the Squire. He would have been responsible for slaughtering livestock on request, and delivering coal. He would have had his own horse and cart, which were housed across the road in the stables, the live-in stable boy sleeping in a room above the horse�s stall. (Incidentally David Field signed his name on the chimney breast in 1955!) As previously stated a lot of changes took place in 1820. It is thought that a brewery may have purchased The Yew Tree Inn then. An extension was built, which is now used by the present owners as the kitchen, and guest room above.