I don’t think they were referring to traditional cottages of 80 years ago, but rather the ‘Bungalow Bliss’ type of Hacienda/greek temple/dog kennel hybrid that as proved irresistable to the house buying public in the last 10 to 20 years.
At a guess the one near you is unlikely to be that bad (from a style point of view), but renovation will be a challenge – almost certainly needs a new insulated floor, and maybe form a cavity wall on the inside (to preserve stone exterior) – if it’s white, then use an external cladding system to keep out damp, keep in warmth. Good luck with the project.