Gilbert's Cottage September 2009

Gilbert's Cottage is in North End and stands some way back from the road leading to Riseley, a little south of North End Farm. It was listed by English Heritage in August 1987 as Grade II, of special interest. The cottage has 16th or 17th century origins, but now modernised. It is built of colour-washed roughcast over a timber frame, with a limestone plinth at west end and a thatched. It is a four bay house, "possibly starting as an open hall, subsequently heightened and extended".

Gilbert's Cottage may be that mentioned in a survey of Saint John land in Bletsoe in 1624 [WG10] as a freehold messuage occupied by one Randolp Foordes "late Stratton's and afterwards Thomas Bevis" which also had a close of one and a half acres and four acres, three roods and a headland in a place called Moorden Slade..

The terms of the Rating and Valuation Act 1925 required every piece of land and building in the country to be valued to determine its rateable value. Most of Bedfordshire was valued in 1927. The valuer visiting Gilbert's Cottage [DV1/A12/15c-d] noted that it was owned by Lord Saint John and divided into two dwellings. The western part was occupied by T. Parsons, who had a parlour and living room with three bedrooms above, whilst the other part was occupied by G. H. Banford who had a parlour, passage and living room below with two bedrooms above.