Woodbine Cottage Eggington

Woodbine Cottage January 2013

Woodbine Cottage is not listed. The Bedfordshire Historic Environment Record [HER] contains information on the county’s historic buildings and landscapes and summaries of each entry can now be found online as part of the Heritage Gateway website. The entry for Woodbine Cottage [HER 6377] dates the property to the 18th century and notes that it is constructed of coursed roughcast and comprises one storey and attics. At that stage it had a corrugated iron roof, today it has grey tiles.

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. The valuer visiting the cottage [DV1/C174/31] on 30th March 1927 found it owned and occupied by F. Cox who also owned The Patch next door.

Accommodation comprised two living room, a kitchen and a scullery downstairs with two bedrooms above. The valuer commented: “was 3 Cottages – awful place”. Outside this “Rotten Hovel” as another hand has described it, was a weather-boarded and corrugated iron store in bad condition.

Another hand has annotated the description: “Recently repaired. New Walls and new corrugated iron roof. Remainder of roof old thatch – will be repaired shortly”.