Numbers 25 To 30 And Detached Outhouse Block

Numbers 25 to 30 and the detached outhouse block are a row of Bedford Estate cottages built in 1851 by the 7th Duke of Bedford. They were created to provide comfortable housing for agricultural labourers, reflecting a focus on practicality and quality construction during the late 1840s. The row consists of two storeys and six bays, with a symmetrical road elevation. The central and outer bays are gabled, while the intervening bays feature gablets. Each floor has six windows, all 2-light cast iron lattice casements with slightly cambered heads. There are four plank doors, also with slightly cambered heads. Entrances to numbers 25 and 30 are located on the side elevations and have gabled hoods supported by curved brackets. The cottages have cogged eaves cornices and red brick ridge stacks. The brickwork is of notable interest, representing an early form of cavity walling, as documented by Charles Hacker. The cottages are considered an influential contribution to the development of working-class housing, a trend that influenced later garden cities and council housing. The Dukes of Bedford constructed approximately 500 cottages in the area between the late 1840s and World War I, and this row is characteristic of the earliest phase of that building program, sharing design similarities with the 7th Duke's published plans and elevations.