6 Cottages In England Where Families Still Live In Houses Built Before 1700

This journey through England’s oldest continuously lived-in cottages reveals something most people never stop to consider — the medieval world did not disappear. In quiet villages across the country, families are still waking up inside homes built before Columbus reached America, before the printing press transformed Europe, and before England looked anything like the modern nation we know today. From the crooked timber-framed streets of Lavenham to the extraordinary Norman survival of Saltford Manor, these are not museum pieces frozen in time. They are living homes, continuously occupied for hundreds of years.
In this documentary, we explore seven remarkable places where medieval architecture still survives in daily life — houses shaped by poverty, preservation, tradition, and uninterrupted habitation. Discover villages where black-and-white timber frames still dominate the streetscape, cottages hiding 15th-century structures beneath modern walls, and homes whose oak beams were cut from forests over 500 years ago. Along the way, we uncover how dendrochronology, radiocarbon dating, and historical records revealed that thousands of medieval homes still exist across England today.
Featured locations include:
Lavenham
Long Crendon
Weobley
Hemingford Grey
Alfriston
Saltford Manor
If you enjoy hidden British history, medieval England, ancient cottages, forgotten villages, and the strange continuity of places that never stopped being lived in, this is for you.