Key Distinguishing Characteristics
The smallest of the English styles, the Cotswold sometimes is described a an Ann Hathaway or Hansel and Gretel Cottage. It is a ground-hugging, always asymmetrical style with a prominent brick or stone chimney in the front or on the side that appears to be very large in relation to the overall size of the house.

Other Distinguishing Characteristics

• Walls of the originals were built of materials of the area - brick, stone, wood siding, half timbers
• Steep gable roof with complex lines
• Casement windows
• Dormer windows smaller than the other windows
• Rooms tend to be small and irregularly shaped
• Layout often necessitates walking through one room to get to another (even the bedroom)
• Upper-story bedrooms have steep walls and need dormers

History
The Cotswold Cottage was first built in the Cotswold Hills of Gloucester, Hereford and Worcester, England, starting about the time of the Norman conquest in 1066. The name is derived form “cot” (cottage) and “wold” (wood) - cottage in a wood. The romantic design was very popular throughout the United States in the 1920s and 1930s.