Enchanted Cottage, 26 High Street

This page was contributed by Pamela Hider

26 High Street, Carlton 1962 (Reference Z53/25/7)

The development of the village of Carlton began principally in the High Street which was nearest to both church and manor house and where most of the oldest houses are to be found today.

One such house, known today as Enchanted Cottage, is described by the Historic  Environment Record for Bedfordshire as being a 'Late C17 or C18 house'.

The Rating and Valuation Act 1925 (DV1/H18) specified that every building and piece of land in the country was to be assessed to determine its rateable value. in 1927 the owner was A.M.J.Morel and the occupier was A.W.Sanders. It was described as being the 1st of 4 and its details were as follows: stone & tile, Living Room, Scullery, 2 bedrooms upstairs, Barn, water supply bad, poor cottage. Another hand had written it was  'right against road'.

Number 26 is semi-detached to number 24 in an L-shape, but brickworks and roof works reveal that one other cottage was once between them forming an L-shaped terrace which consisted of altogether, 4 cottages. These were associated with a further 4 cottages as described here.

26 High Street, Carlton September 2021