The Presbytery, East Hendred

Presbytery House for Roman Catholic church of St Mary, East Hendred, designed by Charles Alban Buckler and completed in 1865.

MATERIALS AND PLAN: red brick laid in English bond with ashlar dressings and a slate roof. Two storeys and basement.

EXTERIOR: the north front, facing the road is joined to a bridge at first-floor level which connects the presbytery to the church on the other side of the road.

The south front faces the garden and is the show front of the house. To right of centre is a projecting gabled wing of two bays, with two-light windows to the ground and first floors with stone surrounds and cusped heads. The gable has stone kneelers and coping and there is a stone with carved shield and quatrefoil surround to the centre of the gable, bearing the coat of arms of the Roman Catholic Diocese. To the right is a recessed gable with a triple lancet in a stone surround with square head to the ground floor, above which is a similar triple lancet with a n arched head to the stone surround. A hood mould rises into the gable and there is a slender lancet to the gable head. At left of centre is a single-storey canted bay to the ground floor with two paired lancets to the first floor. At far left is the front door, approached from the road by a passage which runs along the west flank of the building. This is a plank door with a Caernarvon-arched head, above which is a first-floor lancet. Ridge stacks are to their full original eight.

The eastern end has a door to near centre at right of which is a two-light window with cusped head and stone surround. To the left is a service outshut housing the scullery. A large rectangular chimney stack at left rises above the original kitchen and scullery hearths.

The western gable end has a central mezzanine window of two lights with cusped heads in a stone surround. A stone hood mould above rises into the gable which also contains a painted terracotta or majolica plaque with a stone surround showing the Virgin and Infant Christ with angels.

INTERIOR: there is a spinal corridor running from west to east along the northern side of the house on both floors. To the south of these are the principal bedrooms and reception rooms. Overpainted stone fire surrounds survive in several rooms including the drawing room and kitchen. Doors have chamfered edges to the panels and the front and back staircases have stick balusters with chamfered edges and newels. The scullery has terracotta floor tiles.