The Old Rectory On East Of Parish Church

The Old Rectory, located to the east of the parish church, is a rectory that has been converted into a house. It dates from the 18th century and was extended on both sides in the early 19th century. The building is constructed of colourwashed brick with grey brick chimneys on the newer sections, and it features hipped slate roofs.

This irregularly shaped, two-storey house faces south and has a formal garden front that overlooks the Ash Valley to the north. The highest section of the building, which likely represents the original 18th-century structure, consists of a three-window, two-storey, and basement section in the middle of the north front. This section has flat gauged arches, recessed sash windows with 6/6 panes, and a modillioned cornice. The southern part of this section has two sash windows under gauged arches, along with a triple window on the right. The narrower window may have been the location of the original door.

In the early 19th century, a two-storey west wing was added, which is slightly lower than the central section on the north front but significantly taller than the southern part. This wing features two windows and an entrance on the right, with recessed sash windows under segmental gauged arches, also with 6/6 panes. It has wide eaves overhangs with plastered soffits. A flat-topped, heavy Tuscan porch with columns, pilasters, and a full entablature leads to a six-panel half-glazed door.

Additionally, a narrower two-storey bay was added on the east side, set back on each front, with one window on each storey. All windows are fitted with louvred shutters. The Old Rectory is a picturesque example of 18th and 19th-century architecture and is part of the group of buildings surrounding the parish church.