The Old Rectory

The Old Rectory is a house that originated as a rectory, dating back to the 16th century, with significant alterations in the early to mid 17th century, the late 18th century, and the mid 20th century. It was formerly a timber-framed building. The front elevation is likely from the late 18th century and is constructed of red and grey brick in a Flemish bond. The left return elevation uses a Sussex bond towards the front and red brick towards the rear. The roof is covered with plain tiles.

The central section consists of two or possibly four short timber-framed bays. The right wing, originally projecting slightly and extending to the rear, contains approximately six short timber-framed bays. A wing to the left also projects forward slightly; it has late 18th-century features but may have an earlier core, with a 19th-century addition to the rear. The building has two storeys, and a cellar is located in the right wing. The right wing was formerly jettied to the front and right return. A plat band is visible on the central section, with a single flush course of grey brick headers on the front gable ends of each wing. There is a dentilled brick eaves cornice to the wings, and a pedimented brick gable covering the central section, featuring a plain base band and dentilled brick verges. The wing roofs are hipped to the front and rear with slightly lower ridges than the central section. A brick ridge stack is situated at the junction of the main range and the left wing, and a projecting brick stack is present on the right. A bulls-eye window is in the central gable.

The front features a regular arrangement of seven windows: six recessed two-pane sashes with splayed rubbed brick voussoirs (two to each wing and two to the central section), and a central round-headed window with rubbed brick voussoirs and radiating glazing bars. Similar windows are on the ground floor. A two-light horizontally-sliding sash with a segmental head is on the first floor of the left return. A central, single-storey, red brick porch, altered in the late 20th century, has a panelled door on its left side.

Inside the central section, a high ceiling was inserted, or likely built, in the early to mid 17th century, and is divided into eight sections by ovolo-moulded cross beams, axial beams with panelled soffits, and ovolo-moulded subsidiary cross beams. A front ground-floor room in the right wing has a hollow-chamfered cross beam, dragon beam, and joists. Jowled first-floor posts are present in the right wing. The central section has a common-rafter roof with high cambered collars. A finely-pierced cornice and reeded ceiling frieze are in the low ceiling of the front ground-floor room of the left wing. Panelled doors and 19th-century fireplaces are also present.