34 and 35 The Village Old Warden

The gates to 34 and 35 The Village February 2012

34 and 35 The Village stand on the slope to the south-east of the main road through the village. They were listed by the former Department of Environment in October 1970 as Grade II, of special interest. The department dated the properties to the early 19th century "probably encasing an earlier building". They are built of colourwashed roughcast render over a timber frame and have clay tiled roofs. They comprised two storeys with attics. A later block built of gault bricks stands at 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. The valuer visiting the cottages [DV1/C34/107-108] found Number 34 occupied by C. H. Goodhand and Number 35 by Miss Whiteman. Both paid £6 per annum, a rent set in 1921.  Goodhand was a blacksmith who worked for the Shuttleworth Estate and retired in 1926. His account book is held by Bedfordshire & Luton Archives & Records Service [Z1490/1].

Both properties comprised a kitchen, a parlour and two bedrooms. Water came from an outside tap. The valuer commented:  "Very good" "Ivy".