6 and 8 Willington Road Cople

The Pyghtles in Willington Road February 2008

6 and 8 Willington Road is today one property known as The Pyghtles but this has not always been so. In 1927 the dwellings of Cople were valued under the Rating Valuation Act 1925; every building and piece of land in the country was assessed to determine the rates to be paid on it. The valuer visiting the property noted [DV1/C/49/32-33] that it was divided into two; the northernmost dwelling was numbered 34, its neighbour 35 The Village. Both were thatched and owned by Miss Arms [possibly Florence Arms, the shopkeeper]; 34 was tenanted by B.E.Sinfield, 35 by W.Baldwin. 34 The Village comprised a pantry and kitchen with two bedrooms and a boxroom above whilst its neighbour had a pantry, scullery and living room below with three bedrooms above - the bedrooms being in the attic.

 
The Pyghtles from the front February 2008

In 1964 the former Ministry of Public Buildings and Works listed the building as Grade II, of special interest. It was noted that it was formerly a post office, presumably before 2 Grange Lane, which was the village post office in the 1970s. It was reckoned that the building was constructed about 1600; it is colour-washed rough-cast over a timber frame, with the timbering exposed on one gable; it has an old clay tile roof. The building is constructed in an H-plan and the front elevation has five gables; there is an additional projecting wing to rear and the whole thing has two storeys.

 
Elevation of 6 Willington Road in 1976 [BorB/TP/76/1592/2]

As late as 1976 the building was divided into two separate tenements as the elevation for Number 6 above shows. At the time of writing [2008] the building had a date of 1580 inscribed upon the porch; Bedfordshire & Luton Archives & Records Service has no deeds for the property and so cannot comment on this date. Subsequent redecoration obliterated this date as can be seen below.

6 Willington Road July 2010