The Old Rectory

The Old Rectory is a farmhouse that was formerly used as a rectory. It has origins dating back to the 18th century or earlier and is said to have been built in 1718, although it appears to have been refurbished and extended in the 19th century, with the main range possibly predating 1718. This building was home to the Southcombs, who served as rectors continuously from 1675 to 1945. The exterior is colourwashed and rendered, with stone up to the first floor level and cob above. It features a slate roof that is hipped at the ends of the main range, adorned with crested ridge tiles and deep eaves. There are end stacks and two rear lateral stacks on the main range, along with axial stacks on the rear wings.

The layout consists of a courtyard plan, with a single-depth south-facing main range and rear wings to the west and east, forming three sides of a rear courtyard that is enclosed by a wall and agricultural buildings on the north side. The main range contains the principal rooms and has a central entrance leading into a wide passage that faces the stair, located in a rear centre wing projecting into the courtyard. The rear wings may be 19th-century additions, with the east wing serving as a kitchen.

The building is two storeys high and has a symmetrical five-window front. It features an early 19th-century central Tuscan porch with a two-leaf half-glazed front door that has decorated glass, set in a well-crafted 17th-century oak doorframe with ramshorn stops, which may be reused. The windows are primarily early 18th-century three-light small pane timber casements with old glass, although the ground floor windows have unfortunately been replaced with 20th-century aluminium windows. The west wing displays a mix of late 19th to early 20th-century four-pane timber sashes and aluminium windows, while the courtyard side mostly features late 19th to early 20th-century four-pane sashes.

Inside, the joinery is mostly from the early 19th century, including a stick baluster stair with a mahogany handrail.