36 and 37, Bedford Street

A pair of estate cottages on Bedford Street, Woburn, were built in 1847 for the Seventh Duke of Bedford. Constructed of red brick with lighter brick dressings, they have 20th-century tile roofs.

The cottages are two storeys and arranged in an L-shape. The right-hand block (No. 36) has two three-light windows on the ground floor and two two-light windows under the gables on the first floor. The left-hand block (No. 37) has a three-light window to the ground floor and a two-light window to the first floor, matching those on the right. All windows have glazing bars, wood mullions, and are set within gauged brick flat arches. The off-centre doorway also has a gauged brick flat head and a dripstone, and features a door of three vertical panels. The south-facing elevation has windows similar to the front, and an entrance to No. 37. There’s one ridge stack and a chimney stack to the north wall of No. 37.

The Seventh Duke of Bedford recognised the benefits of providing comfortable housing for agricultural labourers. From the late 1840s, the emphasis in Bedford Estate cottage building shifted to functionality rather than picturesque design. These cottages are notable for the quality of construction in workers' homes of that early date and represent a significant contribution to the development of working-class housing, later influencing garden cities and early council housing.

Approximately 500 cottages were constructed by the Dukes of Bedford in the area between the late 1840s and World War I. This pair exemplifies the earliest phase of this building program, reflecting designs found in the Seventh Duke's Plans and Elevations.