6 Market Square Toddington

6 Market Square March 2016

This detached property is listed by the former Department of the Environment as Grade II, of special interest. Built in the 17th century it has since been much altered. The building is roughcast, with mock timber-framing on the first floor and a clay tile roof. The doors have gabled hoods and there is a modern shop front to the left hand ground floor. The listing gives the address as 6 and 8 Market Square, but it appears there has been some renumbering as the adjacent detached property is now number 8, Market Square.

In 1875 properties in the Market Square and Ampthill Street (now Station Road) formerly belonging to William Osborn of Osborn House (now Sundial House, 10 Market Square) were put up for sale. Although it has not been possible to firmly identify the properties it seems likely that the house and shop which constituted Lot 2 may have been 6 Market Square. If this identification was correct, a second lot of five brick-built cottages with a yard and large gardens were to be found at the rear. These cottages appear to have been known as Osborn's Yard and were occupied in 1871 but vacant on the 1881 census. Lot 2 was described as a freehold brick-built house and shop containing six rooms with a detached garden in the rear [HN10/273/Marnham1].

The Rating and Valuation Act 1925 specified that every building and piece of land in the country was to be assessed to determine its rateable value. At this time the property was owned and occupied by William Muckleston. It consisted of a shop measuring 9 feet by 15 feet with a lobby at the back, a living room, kitchen and warehouse downstairs, and three bedrooms upstairs. Outside were a timber and corrugated iron coach house, stable and pig sties, a new brick and slate slaughter house and a fasting pen. The valuer noted that, thirty years before, the property had been rented for £10 per annum and had recently been done up [DV1/C85/129].

Kelly's Directory for 1928 tells us that William Muckleston was a butcher. Directories were not annual but published every few years. William Muckleston first turns up in the directory for 1914 and is still listed in the last countywide directory, that for 1940.