7 and 8 The Village Little Barford
7 and 8 Little Barford February 2010
Four pairs of attractive and comparatively modern houses greet one as one drives into Little Barford from the A428. 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 7 and 8 The Village [HER 9901] reads: “
Pair of 19th century estate cottages. Yellow brick with red brick dressings. Half-hipped banded tile roof. Four gabled dormer windows. Two ground floor canted Bays flanked by open sided timber porches”.
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. Most of Bedfordshire was valued in 1927 and the valuer visiting 7 and 8 The Village [DV1/C256/8-9] found them owned by Lord of the Manor Charles Edmund Argentine Alington.
Number 7 was occupied by B. Hackett and Number 8 by J. Brace, both tenants paying three shillings per week in rent. Both properties comprised a living room and kitchen downstairs with three bedrooms above. Each tenant had a barn outside and both shared a washhouse.