English Cottage style Architecture

• 1 - 2 stories
• Asymmetrical
• Cross-gabled, medium to steeply pitched roof, sometimes with clipped gables
• Occasionally "thatched" roof is seen. Composition is rolled at the edge to simulate straw thatch
• Arrangements of tall, narrow multi-light windows in bands; often casements and occasionally leaded and/or diamond paned
• Over scaled chimneys with decorative brick or stone work and chimney pots. Clinker brick may be used
• Gabled, enclosed entry is common often with a catslide roof
• Doors may be half-round or arched with decorative hardware
• Siding commonly seen includes stucco, shingle, and lapped
• Decorative half-timbering is often seen
• Cozy, irregularly-shaped rooms

The short answer

Compared with the large Tudor-style country residences that appeared in the late 19th century that echoed medieval English styles, modern English cottages were much smaller and more streamlined. Characteristics commonly incorporated included the steeply pitched roof and cross-gables, large stone or brick chimneys often at the front of the house, and small-paned bands of casement windows. Entries were often front-facing gables with a catslide roof that was steep and straight on one side and artistically curved on the other. Doorways were often arched or half-round with ornate hardware and exterior lighting.