13 George Street Woburn

13 George Street March 2012

13 George Street was listed by the former Ministry of Works in January 1961 as Grade II, of special interest. It dates from the late 18th century and is built of red brick; the tiled roof is 20th century. The property comprises two storeys and attics and has a double-pile plan, that is, the house rests beneath two parallel roofs. The ministry considered that the house was most likely originally built in an L-shape.

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. Woburn, like much of the county was valued in 1927 and the valuer visiting 13 George Street (then called 7 George Street) [DV1/C137/140] found that, like most of the town, it was owned by the Duke of Bedford’s London and Devon Estates Limited.

The tenant was Walter Stanton who obviously worked for the duke because his rent was “in wages”. His accommodation comprised two living rooms and a kitchen downstairs with three bedrooms, two attics and a boxroom above. Outside stood a barn, washhouse and W. C. Walter Stanton is listed as tenant in directories for Bedfordshire of 1914, 1920, 1924, 1928, 1931, 1936 and, the last for the county, 1940.

Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service has a plan of the property from 1996 [PCWoburn18/3/3].