79 And 81, Bedford Road

A pair of cottages located on Bedford Road, Little Houghton, dating to the late 17th or early 18th century, with extensions and alterations made in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. They are constructed of coursed limestone and ironstone rubble, with a 20th-century interlocking tile roof, and brick end and ridge stacks. Originally probably a two-unit plan, the cottages were extended to three, then further extended by one unit. The original core, shared by numbers 79 and 81, has a blocked central doorway, formerly accessible via a wooden lintel, along with three-light casement windows to the ground floor and a 2-light casement to the first floor on the left side. A 20th-century casement is located on the first floor right. The walling of this core features alternating bands of ironstone and limestone. A full-height, one-bay extension from the 18th century is chiefly of coursed limestone rubble with ironstone quoins, and includes a 4-panel door to number 81 with a wooden lintel and 20th-century hood, a 20th-century three-light casement to the ground floor right, and a 2-light casement to the first floor with a wooden lintel. Ironstone-coped gables with kneelers are present at either end of the extended core. A lower, two-storey, one-window extension to the left includes a 4-panel door to number 79 with a 20th-century hood, and three-light and two-light casements to the ground and first floors respectively, all with wooden lintels. The interior contains chamfered spine beams with run-out stops.