The Old Rectory is a Grade II listed building in the East Cambridgeshire local planning authority area, England. First listed on 5 February 1952. House.

The Old Rectory

WRENN ID
hallowed-footing-sable
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
East Cambridgeshire
Constituency
Ely and East Cambridgeshire MP: Charlotte Cane (LD)
Country
England
Date first listed
5 February 1952
Type
House
Address
The Old Rectory, Main Street, Downham
OS grid reference
TL 526 841
Coordinates
52.43417, 0.24334
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Old Rectory is a house that was formerly used as the Rectory, dated 1790 on a stone plaque in the west wall. It was built for Thomas Waddington, who served as Rector from 1787 to 1805. The building is constructed of yellow gault brick and features plain tile roofs. It is two storeys high with attics and has a double pile plan, showcasing a symmetrical facade with five bays. The gables have parapets, side stacks, and a sawtooth brick eaves cornice. The main entrance includes a six-panelled door with a round-headed fanlight, framed by a wooden doorcase with panelled reveals and a dentil enriched pediment. There are four slightly recessed twelve-paned hung sash windows in cambered brick arches on the ground floor, and five similar windows on the first floor. Additionally, there are three 20th-century dormer windows.

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 98% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 99% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 34 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 51% 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

Sign in or create a free account to unlock:

  • No EPC on record for this property
  • No sale records on file
  • No related consent applications matched
  • 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
Create free account

Matched applications, energy data and sale records are assembled automatically and may contain errors. Flag incorrect data.

Similar buildings

The closest matches to this building from all 493,000 UK listed buildings, by architecture, period and materials.

Nearby listed buildings

  1. Parish Church of St Leonard Grade I 34 m
  2. Bury House Grade II 49 m
  3. Little Downham War Memorial Grade II 68 m
  4. Village Centre Grade II 68 m
  5. 17, Main Street Grade II 95 m
  6. The Lawns Grade II 101 m
  7. Barn to North of the Lawns Grade II 117 m
  8. 27, Main Street Grade II 190 m
  9. 41, Main Street Grade II 270 m
  10. Alpha Cottage Grade II 365 m