Wood End Cottage, 7 Wood End

Small house. C17, altered. Timber frame with diagonal and curved braces, whitewashed brick and plaster infill. Left gable rebuilt and rendered. Asbestos slate roof with altered pitch, rendered chimneys to left gable and centre. 2 storeys, 2 bays. Barred wooden casements, 3-light to ground floor, single to first floor. Entry in central C20 gabled porch with single light to right and cast iron water pump to left. Small C20 extension of whitewashed brick with tiled roof set back to left gable.

English Heritage

Historic building recording carried out by Archaeological Solutions in May 2004 in advance of proposals to dismantle, refurbish and re-assemble the building, identified traces of cruck framing probably of the 15th to 16th century and suggests the building was originally a barn with wattle and daub walls. A floor was inserted in the 17th century and in the 19th century stairs, further flooring, internal walls and brick infilling were added. The cruck frame may have been removed when the building was re-roofed. Map evidence suggests that the building was possibly in use as a Quaker meeting house in 1831. The building underwent further alteration in the 20th century and by 1910 appears to have been in use as two cottages (B2).
The cottage at Wood End, Nash, dates to the 15th or 16th century and probably originated as a cruck-framed barn. In the 17th century the building was converted to a cottage and documentary evidence suggests that by the 19th century the building was in use as a Quaker Meeting House (B3).

2004 Archaeological Solutions

Mrs Irene Williams

Mrs Williams has lived in her property for a number of years and the property was built in 1925.

Mrs Williams said: She and her husband David had been very happy. He was a very forthcoming man, always one step ahead of you but very knowledgeable, very polite and very easy to get on with. She has been widowed for 27 years.

Animals have figured largely in Mrs Williams life in Nash. Originally the pond at the back of their house belonged to Mrs Willis next door and Mrs Williams bought the pond and land above. She had beautiful views across fields and she had 21 ducks on the pond. Unfortunately in 1994 the pond dried up and even specialists who were called in couldn’t find an explanation.

One year her husband bought her a donkey for Christmas. He said, “look out of the window” and there he was. Joseph the donkey was a great companion to Mrs Williams and he had to vet all visitors. He would stand in the hall and would discourage unwelcome visitors, but if he liked them he would be very polite. Sadly Joseph died in 1992

Mrs Williams featured on the television programme “Animal Hospital” when one of her ducks called Madonna was operated on to cure cataracts. Rolph Harris and a camera crew visited Wood End Cottage and filmed Madonna in the bath. Mrs Williams was a qualified midwife but during the war she helped nurse 2200 troops through a Nottingham hospital.

2000 Millennium Chronicle

Mrs I Williams

1982 Nash WI Scrapbook.

Mr and Mrs J Tomkins

1965 Nash WI Scrapbook.