Typical plan of poor cottages in this area. Drawing: David Stokes

Most of these poor Chobham cottages seem to follow a formula. They were single-storey with two rooms and a scullery in an outshoot at the back – usually under a cat-slide roof. The floor of the area under the cat-slide was usually sunken to provide more head room.  A single chimneystack rose through the ridge; giving hearths to both rooms. Fireplaces were small. The living room often held a tiny range.

Frogshole cottage follows the standard pattern but has three principle rooms with a further chimney at the end - so may have been extended. The external chimney bulges slightly at the base so may contain a small bread oven. The cottage is single story with a cats-slide behind.  It is 'black and white', i.e. wood-framed with white painted brick infill. The roof is clad in clay tiles.

Unusually it shows little sign of having been 'improved'; the rooms do not have ceilings, and it seems to have the original earth floor.

The 'front' view of the cottage Photo: David Stokes

There are signs of many repairs performed over the years. Some brick piers have been constructed against the front side to prevent collapse of the wall down the slope. The brickwork of the south wall has been replaced above the 1m level, as has brickwork of the chimney. The centre chimney and the hearths below appear to be reasonably recent.

It is no longer occupied. Adjacent to the cottage is an old wooden shed that may  also be of interest.  It is made of very crude timbers, some just scots pine still with bark. It looks as if constructed from waste timbers.  It is very difficult to estimate its age.

The site is an obvious squat on the highway verge; the road up the Steep from The Cloche Hat restaurant has wide verges until it comes to the sharp left bend where the cottage lies.  Poor people who could not buy land sometimes erected simple cottages on verges. Another example in Chobham is the simple black and white cottage on the west verge half way up Mincing Lane.

The Domestic Building Research Group have surveyed four such cottages in Chobham:

· Englewood, Burrowhill, SU972 633, DBRG Ref 3052, modernised but not ruined.

· No 1 Sparrow Row, DBRG Ref 586 – now demolished

· No 3 Sparrow Row, ‘Granny Beetles Cottage’ SU959638 DBRG reference 587? – now extensively re-developed

· No 5 Sparrow Road SU959638 DBRG Ref 431 – now demolished

There is an un-surveyed cottage at the north-east end of Brimshot Lane; it has been improved to be habitable, but still bears a resemblance to the original. It is occupied by Miss Amor.