# Button Snap

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Cottage in Westmill, Hertfordshire  England

Button Snap Interactive map of the Button Snap area General information Type cottage Location Westmill, Hertfordshire SG9 9NN England Coordinates 51°55′12″N 0°02′23″W / 51.9201°N 0.0398°W / 51.9201; -0.0398 Completed 17th century Technical details Floor count 2

**Button Snap** is a 17th-century cottage in northeast Hertfordshire, that has been associated with the writer [Charles Lamb](/source/Charles_Lamb). It is on a rural gravel road west of the village of [Westmill](/source/Westmill). It has been [listed Grade II](/source/Listed_building#England_and_Wales) on the [National Heritage List for England](/source/National_Heritage_List_for_England) since February 1967.[1]

Button Snap cottage, located about 1,200 feet (370 m) northwest of Cherry Green Farm and Fancy Hall, is significant for several reasons. First, it has changed little, excepting for a possible later extension, since it was built. It is therefore a good example of a traditional cottage with a roof of thatched straw. The heritage listing for Button Snap describes its construction as "Timber frame roughcast on plastered red brick sill".[1] A number of other thatched-roof cottages, known as Cherry Green, exist nearby.

This cottage has a unique history. It was originally owned by Francis Field, the uncle of the writer [Charles Lamb](/source/Charles_Lamb). In 1812 Field's widow conveyed this property to Lamb, who lived in the cottage until 1815, when he sold it. Lamb mentioned this house in an essay, "My First Play."[2] Lamb even apparently gave the cottage its name of Button Snap.[3]

The cottage has two ceramic plaques on either side of the front door that tell of its connection to Lamb. A small bust of Lamb is next to the road (at the verge) in front of the cottage, as well.[4] This cottage was privately owned for many years. In 1947 the owner presented Button Snap to the [Royal Arts Society](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Royal_Arts_Society&action=edit&redlink=1). Two years later the Society sold the property to the [Charles Lamb Society](/source/Charles_Lamb_Society), which leased it to tenants. Because of rising costs of maintaining the structure, it was sold in 1985.[5]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-NHLE_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-NHLE_1-1) [Historic England](/source/Historic_England), ["Button Snap (1347545)"](https://HistoricEngland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1347545?section=official-list-entry), *[National Heritage List for England](/source/National_Heritage_List_for_England)*, retrieved 4 February 2018

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Waymarking.com website, at [http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM9MP0_Button_Snap_Cottage_Westmill_Herts_UK](http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM9MP0_Button_Snap_Cottage_Westmill_Herts_UK) .

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Hertfordshire Genealogy website, at [http://www.hertfordshire-genealogy.co.uk/data/places/places-w/westmill_/westmill-button-snap.htm](http://www.hertfordshire-genealogy.co.uk/data/places/places-w/westmill_/westmill-button-snap.htm) .

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Waymaking.com website.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Deborah K. Hedgecock, *A Handlist to the Charles Lamb Society Collection at Guildhall Library,* (Richmond, England: Charles Lamb Society, 1995), at [https://www.charleslambsociety.com/docs/Deborah%20Hedgecock%20-%20(supp%201995).pdf](https://www.charleslambsociety.com/docs/Deborah%20Hedgecock%20-%20(supp%201995).pdf).

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Button Snap](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Button_Snap) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Button_Snap?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.