160 Station Road Tempsford

160 Station Road February 2016

160 Station Road was listed by English Heritage in November 1986 as Grade II, of special interest. It is believed to date from the late 17th or early 18th century and is timber-framed with colour-washed render. The cottage has one storey and attics beneath a thatched roof. The listing notes that it is thought to have been part of a row of three originally. Downstairs there is a back-to-back hearth serving two adjacent rooms. A colour-washed brick lean-to has been added to the south gable end.

The Tempsford Estate was surveyed in 1829 [X1/41 and WY1036/12] and the cottage was indeed part of a row. It was not owned by the estate but by Charles Woods of Biggin Farm who had “sundry tenants”.

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 cottage found that it was owned by J Banks and occupied by W Walker. It contained a parlour and living room, served by the back-to-back hearth and had two bedrooms in the roof. Water came from a tap thirty yards away. The valuer commented: “poor cottage”. Banks also owned three derelict cottages at the back.