10 Sun Street Potton

10 and 12 Sun Street August 2013

10 Sun Street is not listed, unlike 12 Sun Street next door. 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 10 Sun Street [HER 2218] states that the building is probably 17th century in origin and that the brick face was added later. It comprises two storeys and attics and a wing extends 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. Potton, like much of the county, was listed in 1927. The valuer visiting 10 Sun Street found that it was owned and occupied by John William Brown who, Kelly's Directory for 1928 tells us, was a wheelwright.

The shop was divided into two areas measuring 21 feet by 20 feet and 13 feet by 7 feet. The rest of the ground floor accommodation comprised a scullery and a kitchen. The first floor contained four bedrooms, measuring, respectively, 18 feet by 12 feet, 10 feet by 9 feet 6 inches, 13 feet by 12 feet 6 inches and 10 feet by 11 feet. There was a brick and corrugated iron workshop building at the rear.

J W Brown billhead [X704/92/11/1]