Stanford Farmhouse March 2008

It is difficult to give much of the early history of Stanford Farm due to a lack of records held by Bedfordshire & Luton Archives & Records Service and lack of names in the early documentation. It seems likely that the farm was one of two farms in Stanford, both occupied by Thomas Taylor, listed in a family settlement of 2nd Baron Ongley of Old Warden in 1792 [SL1/2-3] - he was owner of both Stanford Manor and Stanfordbury Manor. In 1800 he entered into a series of exchanges of land with Samuel Whitbread and two of these involved farms in Stanford, one in occupation of Nathanial Simkins [SL1/13] the other in occupation of John Humberstone [SL1/14].

In 1927 Stanford was 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 Stanford Farm [DV1/C124/140] found that it was then owned by the Biggleswade & District Smallholders' Society and tenanted by G.Lockey.

The farmhouse is a detached brick and tile building and stands on 0.772 of an acre. The valuer noted that it comprised three living rooms, a kitchen, a scullery, a pantry, a dairy and a cellar with four bedrooms ("large"), two dressing rooms and a bath room ("cold only") above; an earth closet lay outside. The valuer commented: "Farmhouse red brick double fronted, nice".

The homestead was in the various occupations of S.B.King, W.E.Faulkner, A.Cooper, A.Dilley, C.Dilley, F.Dilley, S.Lockey, E.Rawlins, A.A.Roberts and F.H.Hatton. The buildings comprised a south block, by the farmhouse, of a brick and tile harness room, garage, four piggeries, mixing house, five loose boxes and stabling for five horses; the centre yard contained a three stall stable, an eight stall stable, a three bay open shed, a five bay open shed, a barn and granary, stabling for nine horses and a loose box; the rickyard contained a seven bay open shed and a large brick and slate barn with a loft over; the north rickyard contained a wood and tile open barn, a hen house and stores and a wood and corrugated iron ten bay open cart shed.