The Old Vicarage

The Old Vicarage is a former vicarage, now a house, with origins dating back to the early 17th century but primarily constructed around 1780. It underwent alterations in 1818 and again between 1841 and 1850. The main house is finished in stucco with incised lines to mimic masonry and features a slate roof, while a mid-19th century service wing to the north is made of painted brick. The building has two storeys and attics, with the main house displaying five mid-19th century 12-pane horned sash windows with moulded architraves and two pedimented dormers. A parapet crowns the structure. The central entrance features a six-panelled door topped by a rectangular fanlight and a broken pediment, although the fanlight is divided into two sections by a later porch with a flat entablature extending over the steps. The southeast front exhibits irregular window placement, including an early 19th century two-storey, three-light bow window. Inside, there is an early 19th century staircase with two stick balusters per tread and a mahogany newel post, along with a 17th century eight-panelled wooden door and an oval-shaped early 19th century Butler's Pantry, which is decorated on the outside with frosted glazing, vine leaves, and rosettes. Historical records indicate that the Reverend Charles Ashburnham began constructing the new vicarage in October 1780, completing it by September of the following year. In 1818, Henry Plimley, the vicar, borrowed £700 from Queen Anne's Bounty to enlarge the house, adding a sitting room with a bow window. Between 1841 and 1850, Reverend T. A. Maberley also secured a loan from Queen Anne's Bounty to extend the dining room with a bow window, add a drawing room, a room above the drawing room, and kitchen offices, costing £525.