The Old Rectory

The Old Rectory

A timber-framed hall-house of 15th-century origins, extended by two wings in the late 17th century. It underwent 19th-century additions, a 1930s restoration and refurbishment, and further alterations around 1960.

The 15th and 17th-century parts are timber-framed with brick or cement infill. The 19th-century additions are in flint with red brick dressings, some featuring first-floor tile-hanging or roughcast. The tiled roof carries five brick chimneys and a wooden bellcote with an iron weathervane.

The building's plan comprises a 15th-century two-bay former open hall with a two-storey solar wing adjoining to the east. The west side of the open hall displays the exposed medieval east end wall of a further west wing. The original structure was enlarged by the addition of cross-wings to both east and west in the late 17th century. Mid-19th-century additions included a central rear wing containing a dining room and bedroom above, and an east service wing. The former open hall was probably restored to full height in the 1930s with the addition of a new staircase and gallery. A single-storey flat-roofed extension was added to the southwest in 1937.

The north or entrance front is of two storeys with eight windows. On the west side is a projecting late 17th-century cross-wing, with a stone ground floor and brick dressings, the upper floor timber-framed of thin scantling with some diagonal tension braces. The gable end carries a 19th-century carved barge-board with pendant. The first floor has a metal casement window and the ground floor a four-light canted bay with French windows. To the east is a central section of four bays enclosing the 15th-century part of the building, timber-framed with cement infill and including some exposed bay posts. The first floor has four casement windows, two of them semi-dormers breaking through the eaves, one of which is a full-height four-tier window lighting the former open hall and gallery. Three full-height brick buttresses support this elevation. Under the eastern semi-dormer is a stone 1930s four-centred arched doorcase. Further east is a full-height gable of two storeys and an attic containing two bays with metal casement windows. The timber frame is of thin scantling and nail holes reveal it was once covered over. The gable carries a similar 19th-century barge-board and pendant. This elevation terminates in an eastern recessed service bay, with a brick ground floor and timber-framed first floor of thin scantling with cement infill, featuring a metal casement window on the ground floor.

The west end has a stone ground floor with red brick dressings and a timber-framed first floor of thin scantling with cement infill. A massive external chimneystack of reused stone and flint with red brick dressings is present, with a set-back wing at the south end, tile-hung on the first floor.

The south side features, to the west, a first-floor four-light window breaking through the eaves and a projecting flat-roofed 1930s canted bay window with French windows. In the centre is a late 19th-century projecting wing, roughcast over a brick plinth. The gable carries a carved barge-board with pendant, and there is a two-storey four-light canted bay window with a smaller mullioned and transomed casement adjoining. This elevation ends in a 19th-century service extension, the ground floor of stone with red brick dressings and tile-hung above, featuring metal casement windows and a similar barge-board and pendant to the gable end.

The east end comprises three bays, with the roof featuring a louvred wooden bellcote. To the north is a projecting end, the ground floor of stone with red brick dressings and timber-framed with cement infill above, carrying a similar barge-board with pendant. Adjoining is a projecting two-storey brick porch to the service entrance with four-centred arches on both floors, open at the corner to provide an entrance. The south bay is of stone and flint with red brick dressings. Metal casement windows are used throughout.

Interior

Entry from the principal front leads directly into a large full-height hall encompassing the two circa 1450 open-hall bays. An off-central 15th-century truss with posts, chamfered tie beam, arched braces (one later moved to the centre to accommodate a later passage) and an octagonal crown-post which has been truncated, probably in the 18th century to provide attic space, survives. The hall retains exposed medieval rafters. On the western wall is the exposed first-floor end wall of another medieval structure of different height, with eaves marked by slightly curved braces. The eastern wall is present on the first floor but missing on the ground floor; it retains the exposed floor joists of the solar wing with mortice holes for a former partition, later incorporated into the hall. The original 15th-century un-sooted solar roof structure of common rafters and collars survives in the attic above.

The south wall of the hall displays a very fine early 17th-century stone chimneypiece, imported between 1936 and 1962. The overmantel has a gadrooned band, central and end pilasters with five-petalled roses in the capitals, strap-work decoration and masks below. The two overmantel panels are decorated with scroll-work and putti bearing festoons with fruit. Below is a gadrooned band and a four-centred arched fire surround with a strap-work frieze containing a central shield and Ionic pilasters with strap-work decoration.

In the 1930s the walls of the hall were panelled in oak almost to full height and a staircase was inserted on the west side leading to a first-floor gallery, both featuring bulbous balusters. Under the staircase is a 1930s oak-panelled bar fitting.

The western end room is said to have been decorated in the 1960s and has a carved cornice and two round-headed display cupboards flanking the chimney. The fireplace was recently stolen. This room incorporates the 1937 flat-roofed extension by Henniker.

The adjoining room to the east, possibly a dining room, has full-height 1930s panelling similar to the hall and a plastered ceiling with diamond and circle motifs. An arched display wall cabinet is set in the west wall. The fireplace was recently stolen.

The ground floor of the service end retains separate room divisions. The kitchen retains circa 1960 fittings with formica tops. The butler's pantry and utility room also retain similar fittings.

The main staircase in the hall leads to the upper floor. The principal west bedroom has circa 1960 built-in cupboards and a bathroom to the north with pink marble shower enclosure, built-in wash basin and a bath with triple arched mirrors.

To the southeast of the main bedroom is a dressing room with circa 1960 full-height built-in wardrobes, a reeded fire surround (though there is no chimney behind) and two built-in bookshelves.

The bedroom adjoining the east wall of the hall has an exposed tapering wall post, and is succeeded by a bathroom with a circa 1960 suite and a bedroom which has an exposed upright post with a square jowl. The adjoining room to the east has an exposed wall-plate and a number of studs marking the end of the eastern late 17th-century wing.

A large bedroom in the southeast gable has a 1930s round-headed brick fireplace. The corridor features a number of arched wooden doorcases and a large linen cupboard. At the eastern end is a service flat in a 19th-century extension which has a separate half-winder service staircase.