English Country Cotswold Cottage

An English Country cottage called Cotswold Cottage was originally from Chedworth, Bloucestershire, England, but now resides in Dearborn, Michigan thanks to Henry Ford who bought the cottage and moved it to Michigan. Significantly, the cottage and all other buildings associated with it were shipped here and reassembled exactly as they were originally. Henry Ford brought it over for his Greenfield Village as a lovely example of architecture inspiration in America, as a tribute to his English heritage, and I can’t help to believe he bought it for his wife who loved English country gardening.

Cotswold Cottage was originally built in the 1600s, has lush English country gardens surrounding it, country gates, stone pathways, ivy growing on the walls, thick limestone walls, charming windows, and my personal favorite is niches built into the limestone walls of the cottage for birds to nest, which looks like bird heaven as you shall see.

Oh be still my heart you delightful cottage, no wonder Henry Ford bought you. I like the ivy growing on the side of the house and the spindles at the entrance.

Here is a marvelous view of the English country gardens surrounding the cottage. English country gardens include Hollyhocks, and this one is no different. A far away view of the bird niches I mentioned that are built into the limestone walls.

Charming gate and stone wall look straight out of a fairy tale.

Cottage stone work and looks like leaded glass windows. The architecture is so nice to see and this one screams cottage.

Built-in storage space in the thick limestone walls.

Bird heaven. A close up of the built-in bird nest niches is as charming as can be.

Two outbuildings: A barn and dovecote that were also brought over from England and reassembled here. So I wondered what is a dovecote?

Per wikipedia- “A dovecote is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be square or circular free-standing structures or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pigeonholes for the birds to nest. Pigeons and doves were an important food source historically in Western Europe and were kept for their eggs, flesh, and dung. In Scotland the tradition is continued in modern urban areas.”

I did not want to know that birds used to be kept for their “dung,” but now that I know it, it can’t be unknown.

Another beautiful view of the home with its stone wall and charming cottage gate.