Chaul End Farm

Chaul End Farm has long been an important part of the local landscape. Bedfordshire & Luton Archives & Records Service has two sale catalogues of the farm, one from 1845 the other from 1898. The earlier of the two sale took place by auction on 16 Dec 1845 at Garraway's Coffee House in Change Alley, Cornhill and was by the trustees of the will of John Pedley. The farm is described thus [MNuncat bundle11]:

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MN Bundle 11 map - please click on it to see a larger image

"LOT 1. A VALUABLE FARM, of which the principal part is Freehold and the residue Leasehold, known as CHAUL END, situate in the parishes of Caddington and Luton,  Bedfordshire, comprising 240a 0r 21p. of good sound productive Land, in high cultivation, with an ample and convenient homestead, well supplied with water; also two labourer's cottages.

This Estate is Tithe Free, with the exception of the Dollorlands, which are subject to the Tithe commutation rent charge of £1 15s. per annum, payable to the Vicar of Luton. These lands being contiguous to the Town of Luton, are likely to increase in value for building purposes and accommodation land.

The Dunstable Railway passes through this Estate.

Summary 

Freehold 184a 3r 27p

Leasehold, held with other Lands under a lease from the Dean and Chapter of St.Paul's, of which the particulars are given at page 5 55a 0r 34p

Total 240a 0r 21p

The Farm was let to the late Mr.Bradshaw, for a term of six years from Michaelmas 1842, at the yearly rent of 26s. per statute acre calculated on all the lands (except the Downs, containing 16a. 3r. 22p. which were thrown in) amounting together to £312, and is now in the occupation of his son, David Bradshaw".

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To see larger images of these three parts of the map accompanying the sale of 1898 please click on each one

The second auction sale occurred on 7 Jul 1898 at The Mary, Tokenhouse Yard, London. As with the first sale Chaul End Farm was part of a much larger sale including Zouches Farm, Woodside Farm, Chalk Farm and other land. The vendors are not named. Chaul End and Zouches Farms, together made up Lot Two. The farmhouse (presumably Chaul End) was described as containing two sitting rooms, a kitchen, dairy, pantry, wash-house, well-house, four bedrooms and a cellar; the homestead was described as containing a large barn, cart stables for thirteen horses with a loose box, a chaff house with a loft over, cow house for six beasts and a calf pen, frill house, wagon shed, poultry houses and three enclosed yards with stables. The bulk of the farm comprised 367a 1r 22p. The lot was coloured green on the accompanying map.

The farm building is timber framed of late 16th or early 17th century date and has been refaced with brick and then rendered. The farm had a long range of timber framed barns which were mostly demolished in the 1970s and have been replaced with dwellings

Chaul End Farm in March 2007