Numbers 1 To 3 And Detached Outhouses To Rear

A row of three cottages and associated outbuildings were built on the Hunsborne Crawley Turnpike Road in 1852 for the 7th Duke of Bedford, part of the Bedford Estate. Constructed of red brick, seemingly in a rat-trap bond, with yellow brick dressings, they have 20th-century tile roofs. The cottages form a compact two-storey block with a prominent, triple-gabled front. Each floor has three 2-light casements with cast iron lattice glazing, set under slightly cambered heads. A plank door is centrally positioned beneath a gabled hood supported by curved brackets. The gables have deep verges and drop finials, and there are red brick ridge stacks. The entrances to numbers 1 and 3 are located on the side elevations.

The 7th Duke of Bedford recognised the benefits of providing comfortable housing for agricultural labourers, and the architectural style shifted towards practicality rather than picturesque design. The cottages are notable for the high quality of their construction and represent a significant influence on later working-class housing developments, culminating in garden cities and early council housing; approximately 500 cottages were built by the Dukes of Bedford in the area between the 1840s and World War I. The increased ornamentation on this block is attributed to its location opposite an entrance lodge to Woburn Abbey. The brickwork construction appears to be an early example of cavity walling.