Park Farm Cottages

A pair of estate cottages, likely dating from the 1860s and probably built for the 7th Duke of Bedford. They are constructed of red brick with light red brick dressings, and have 20th-century tile roofs. The cottages are two storeys high and have an irregular plan. The windows are casement type, with timber mullions of two and three lights to the ground floor, and mostly two lights to the first floor. All windows are set within gauged brick flat arches; the ground floor arches feature simple dripmoulds. The first-floor windows of the front block rise slightly above eaves level, with one situated in a small, two-storey projecting gable, and another beneath a gabled dormer. Plank doors are set within gauged brick flat arches. A dentil eaves cornice runs along the top of the building. The chimneys are multiple stacks with diagonal shafts, linked by moulded bases and caps. The 7th Duke of Bedford believed in providing comfortable housing for agricultural labourers, and from the late 1840s onwards, estate cottages were built with a focus on utility rather than picturesque design. These cottages are noteworthy for the high quality of construction of humble dwellings at an early date, and they contributed to the development of working-class housing. Though slightly later than numbers 3 and 4, this block exemplifies the plainer style of cottage construction.