1 and 2 Church End with barn March 2008
Old Warden is something of a show village due to the preponderance of attractive cottages; some are tiled, some are thatched, but most are quaint looking and painted in the same livery of cream and white. Most are rendered and some have mock timber framing on the outside (sometimes concealing real timber framing beneath the render!). All look old but many are 19th century. They all belonged to the Shuttleworth Estate as it was known after Joseph Shuttleworth bought the estate in 1872. It had previously been the Ongley estate after Samuel Ongley bought it from Earl Bolingbroke, a member of the Saint John family of Bletsoe, in 1698.
1 and 2 Church End were listed by the former Department of Environment as Grade II, of special interest; they were described as a pair of estate cottages, formerly one house and date from the 17th century, though reworked in 1879 for the Shuttleworth Estate. Thus they probably date back to the time of the Saint Johns, although possibly erected by Samuel Ongley on his buying the estate. They have a timber-frame construction with colour-washed rough-cast render and applied timber frame decoration. They have clay tile roofs with decorative ridge tiles. They have a three room plan, two storeys and attics and are described as "Cottage Ornée Style".
A granary which lies just south-west is also listed and is dated to the later 19th century, built by the Shuttleworth Estate. It is timber-framed and weather-boarded raised on straddle stones (to keep out vermin) and has a clay tile roof with terracotta ridge cresting and a finial. It has an attic over its single storey.
In 1927 the dwellings of Old Warden were valued under the Rating Valuation Act 1925; every piece of land and building in the country was assessed to determine the rates to be paid on it. The valuer visiting 1 and 2 Church End [DV1/C34/89] found them owned by the Shuttleworth Estate, with Number 1 occupied by W.Newton and comprising a parlour and kitchen downstairs with four bedrooms above, outside was a wash-house and earth closet, a wood and timber shed, wood and corrugated iron shed and store and a corrugated iron store. Water was laid on. The valuer commented: "V.Nice House. Just out of Village. Nice Garden". The property stood in 0.436 of an acre.
Number 2 was occupied by D.Scott and consisted of a living room and kitchen downstairs with three bedrooms above. Outside were a wash-house, barn and earth closet; like its neighbour, water was laid on to an outside tap. The valuer commented - "Good Garden"; the property stood in 0.360 of an acre.
The granary was also valued although the valuer described it as a carpenter's shop ["good"], it was occupied as well as owned by the Estate and the dimensions were noted as 5½ yards by 13 yards and there were also a wood and corrugated iron timber store and a smaller wood and tile carpenter's shop, all standing in 0.345 of an acre. The valuer commented: "Useful Building with land round for storage".