Potters End Farm Eversholt

Decayed farm buildings at Potters End December 2008

Potters End Farm was listed by English Heritage in March 1987 as Grade II, of special interest. They dates it to around 1700, “with 19th century reworkings”. It is of timber-framed construction with red brick infill at the sides ad rear and colour-washed brick casing at the front. It has a modern tiled roof and comprises one storey and attics.

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 property [DV1/C140/35] found it was owned by the Duke of Bedford’s London and Devon Estates Company and leased by J Bodsworth. Accommodation comprised a parlour, a kitchen, a scullery, a dairy and four bedrooms. Water came from a well. The valuer remarked: “Was old farmhouse … lot of waste space”. His next remark is puzzling to say the least, referring to a collection of open-fronted sheds “used for Highlanders”. This may refer to men of 51st (Highland) Division, who were based in the town of Bedford in 1914 and 1915 or it may be a reference to highland cattle.

By the early 21st century the house was in a poor state of repair and uninhabited. Around 2010 the property underwent considerable restoration and is now once more a home.