46 Moor End Eaton Bray

46 Moor End March 2012

46 Moor End does not look particularly old if one glances at it from the pavement, but it was listed by the former Department of Environment in 1980 as Grade II, of special interest, and dates from the 18th century. It is of timber-framed construction with brick infill between the timbers. In fact the ground floor is now mostly brick. The property comprises two storeys beneath an old clay tiled roof. The porch and windows are modern.

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. Eaton Bray, like much of the county, was assessed in 1927 and the valuer visiting 46 Moor End [DV1/C235/10-11] found it owned by J. Weedon and divided into two tenements, north and south. The southerly half was occupied by F. Weedon, the owner’s son, who paid rent of six shillings per month. He had a living room and scullery downstairs, with a bedroom in the roof. A brick and slate barn and an earth closet stood outside. The valuer commented: “poor”.

His gather lived next door and in identical accommodation. The father, however, had additional outbuildings – a brick, weather-boarded and thatched lean-to hen house, a large barn and two stables. He also had a third of an acre of orchard (“average poor”) with two hen houses (“neglect”).