The Old Rectory

The Old Rectory is a house, originally the rectory for Wembworthy. It likely has a core dating to the 16th century, with significant alterations in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, followed by early 19th-century changes. Some of these later additions were removed in 1962. The construction is of plastered cob and rubble, with stone rubble stacks topped with plastered brick chimney shafts, and a thatched roof.

The main block, facing south, has a three-room-and-through-passage plan, with a former inner room at the western end. There are stacks at the ends of the former inner and service rooms. An original rear lateral stack to the hall was blocked and replaced by an axial stack in the late 17th or early 18th century. Late 17th or early 18th century outshots extend across the back of the main block. An early 19th-century two-room extension is positioned to the right of the former service end room, with stairs set at a right angle to the rear. This extension, along with others, originally enclosed a rear courtyard, but most of these were demolished in 1962. A two-storey cellar lies beneath the extension.

The main garden front has an irregular four-window arrangement of late 19th-century casement windows with glazing bars. A contemporary door is positioned to the right of centre, sheltered by a flat-roofed open porch. The roof is gable-ended. The rear block’s windows have segmental heads. One side of the rear block has 16-pane sash windows alternating with blind window recesses. The rear outshots incorporate casements with rectangular panes of leaded glass.

Inside, most of the interior has been modernized in the 19th century, with much of the joinery and fireplaces dating to that period. However, the main block retains its 16th-century layout, and earlier features likely survive behind later cladding. Crossbeams are boxed in, and fireplaces are blocked or occupied by 19th-century grates. The roof contains late 17th or early 18th century A-frame trusses with pegged lap-jointed collars. The rear block retains early 19th-century fabric, with high-status rooms featuring marble fireplaces and moulded plaster cornices. The cellar doorway has a round-headed arch with original folding doors, leading to brick-vaulted cellars designed for wine storage.