The Old Rectory is a Grade II listed building in the Bedford local planning authority area, England. First listed on 7 May 1952. House. 4 related planning applications.
The Old Rectory
- WRENN ID
- proud-clay-moon
- Grade
- II
- Local Planning Authority
- Bedford
- Constituency
- North Bedfordshire MP: Richard Fuller (Con)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 7 May 1952
- Type
- House
- Address
- The Old Rectory, Church Lane, Melchbourne and Yielden, MK44 1AU
- OS grid reference
- TL 012 672
- Coordinates
- 52.29422, -0.51718
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
The Old Rectory is a house dating back to the 16th century, with significant additions and alterations from around 1700 and the 19th century. It is constructed from coursed limestone rubble with ashlar detailing, and has an old clay tile roof, hipped at the east end.
The original core of the house is a 16th-century two-bay, two-storey block to the east. It features two two-light casement windows on the ground floor, one of which is 20th century, and above, a single two-light casement alongside a later wooden mullion and transom window incorporated into a gabled dormer. A small carved stone panel depicting a Tudor rose sits below the first-floor casement.
A later central block, likely dating to the late 17th or early 18th century, is recessed slightly, with a west-facing extension added at the same time. These sections are also two storeys and have attics. They both have a consistent pattern of wooden mullion and transom windows, with three per floor and one above the front door, illuminating the stairwell. The front features two gabled dormers. The front door consists of six fielded panels, with the upper pair glazed, and all windows have leaded lights.
Inside, the drawing room retains fielded bolection moulded panelling made of painted deal, while the study has ovolo moulded panelling, also of painted deal. A rear extension includes a datestone from 1832.
Local climate
The Old Rectory sits in one of the driest parts of the UK, with an average of 690 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 96% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 91% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 34 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 52% of listed buildings. Of these, 16 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
More on this building
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- Full EPC report — heating system, energy costs, size, glazing, construction etc.
- Sale history — 2 transactions since 2005
- Related listed building consents — 4 applications
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
Matched applications, energy data and sale records are assembled automatically and may contain errors. Flag incorrect data.
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