Are "cottages" equal to our early "cabins" over here or not?

Usually one room for the entire family with an loft to sleep in....anyone got some early pictures of how people lived outside of the "Castle"..or was that permitted?  I realize it must be hard to find any if they were constantly in battle over there in ages past..but I'm just curious I guess...any of these houses make it in surivial?

Cottages here didn't often have a loft; it was floor to roof space and a fireplace somewhere.  I think a few survived as you'll find here....

 http://www.picturesofengland.com/England/tour/English_Cottages

About a 1000 years ago we did have cottages, some inside the castle walls some outside usualy grouped in villages or hamlets for protection. Rich land owners and monestries owned vast estates of land either inherited  or given to them on rent by the state for services rendered, ie Knights were 'paid' for their services to the 'crown'. etc. The rich landowners would also contribute to the crown purse by 'fines' levid on them for practicing relegion (catholic) or by paying taxes. For instace they were taxed on the number of fireplaces or windows they had in their properties. Cottages ranged from the humble single storey one room to quite elaborate structures. Very few if any were made of just timber, they were either stone built brick built or a mix of timber and mud mixed with clay and straw to make a a concrete-like structure.

through the ages the cottages developed, fishermens, farm workers, millworkers, terraced, etc. Many still suvive today and this site has many wonderful examples to view.

Your smallest cottage I saw in the first dozen pictures is twice the size of most "cabins" and the ones grouped together we call "row houses" these days, often low priced condo's for young families or retiring elderly people. I wondered what Diana Sinclair's idea of the cottage she always wanted to buy would of been like. I am about to send off some pictures of three cabins put together to an gal in North Carolina. They are very simple instide but very confortable. This one couple bought an cabin with an fireplace, made of wood logs they cleane dup and took apart and transported to their land, for $500..and then bought an old granary, sloped down the roof line to the cabin proch ...and put it behind the cabin, but raised it in height for an bigger loft and put in two bedrooms, one an master bedroomand then an adjoing bathroom...then they bought an third cabin, it had been an old one room school house, and prior an church....and put it beside the cabin...with an breeze-way between both sections...and that is where they are conducting the home business from. One side is done in blue checked material and the other side is doen in red checked material with matching assesories...such as table cothes, curtains, ennamel ware haning off the ceiling rafters, and in the cupboards. One hasan long sofa in the check pattered, with just an wooden long bench in front of it for the coffee table. It sits near the fireplace with antique chairs across from it..baby craddle. Simple but quite nice.

 I see most your cottages are sitting along slight hillsides...is that so only three sides need to be built perhaps? I don't see much timber and yet they all have fireplaces also....long time ago maybe they used them?

You always paint a great picture Shirley, not always nice, but the details sure allow us to get a good idea of exactly what you are talking about.

You also mentioned our dear Diana. Haven't heard from her for a while and can't imagine what she must be going through, hope she is okay.

Actually Ron, I'm rather surprised anyone can make out the spelling, Ithink my "intruder" is back again, I noticed yesterday for an bit that I could not "log out" of my computer at all...it wouldn't go back to the internet so I could close it down...always an bundle of fun when this dude shows up. Last I heard our web master in another web site washot on the tail of the guy showed up over there...I don't know if he filed formal charges against him or not...was collecting information on him as he posted under different names. Messed up most our getting there to post also, or after posting. Terrible to say the least.