205 High Street Elstow

Pilgrim House - 205 High Street February 2012

205 High Street was listed by English Heritage in May 1984, not so much for its own intrinsic interest, although it is an attractive enough building of its type, but for “group value”. The house dates from the early 19th century and is built of red brick with a clay tiled roof. It comprises two storeys with a lower block to the rear.

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. Elstow, like most of the rest of the county, was assessed in 1927 and the valuer visiting the house [DV1/C33/64] found that it, like most of Elstow, was owned by Lord of the Manor Samuel Howard Whitbread.

Joseph Pestell leased the house at a rent of £12/9/6 per annum, which the valuer dismissed as “ridiculous”. The rent was £8 pre-1914. The valuer noted: “tenant inside repairs”. The house comprised a cellar, two living rooms, a kitchen, a scullery, three bedrooms and two small attics. The valuer commented: “No Bath. Right on road”.

In 1990 planning application was made for a garage and boundary wall [BorBTP/90/0259/LB].