Presbytery, Church of the Holy Trinity, Chipping Norton

House, late C18 or early C19, probably with alterations by J M Derick.

MATERIALS: coursed Chipping Norton limestone rubble, with ashlar dressings. The roof is slated and there are stone stacks, much truncated. The western windows have unhorned sash frames, possibly original.

PLAN: the house is rectangular on plan, with central projecting bays to the east and west. The house is attached to the church to the north by the sacristies.

EXTERIOR: the house is of two stories, with the three-bay principal elevation facing west. The elevation is characterised by strong ashlar dressings: a deep storey band, quoins, and plain window surrounds. The central double-height pedimented projecting bay has a ground-floor porch in antis, with paired pilasters framing the opening. There is a wide four-panelled door with a horizontal fanlight, probably original. The ground-floor windows are tall, with six-over-six sash frames; the upper windows have three-over-six frames. The east elevation is much more altered. This also has a central pedimented projecting bay: the door opening is flush with the front of the bay, and contains modern doors; the window above is not centrally placed. To the north side of the projecting bay is a stone-mullioned window, probably late C19. There are original first-floor openings to either side of the projecting bay, containing three-over six panes, probably original. The fenestration on this elevation is otherwise irregular, with sash and casement window frames, not original. The northern bay has a triangular canted window, probably early C20. There is a single-storey lean-to against the south side of the projecting bay.

INTERIOR: the eastern entrance leads to the hall, with a room opening to north and south. The northern room connects with the sacristy; an archway dividing this room axially suggests there may once have been a passage at the western end, perhaps to do with the connection with the church. The ground-floor rooms retain plain moulded cornices, panelled window embrasures with shutters, and panelled doors. Neither has a surviving fireplace. The hall has a cornice with a circular moulding. The dog-leg stair has plain open strings and moulded newels, with a ramped handrail. The north-west first-floor room retains an early-C19 chimneypiece with reeded jambs and frieze, and roundel end-blocks. The first-floor windows have secondary glazing.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: attached to the house to the south is an L-shaped range of service buildings, present on the Ordnance Survey map published in 1881, and now converted to domestic use. These are also of limestone rubble, with ashlar quoins, with several new openings. The buildings were not inspected internally.