Old Parsonage and Marden

The Old Parsonage and Marden are a former vicarage dating to 1889, designed by W. M. Bentley. The building is constructed of red brick with fine rubbed brick arches and substantial decorative brickwork to the strings and gables, topped by a plain tile roof. It has two gables facing the Main Road, stepped forward slightly from the flanking wings, with gabled ends and two richly modelled brick stacks. The fenestration is arranged as a 1:2:1 window pattern, featuring two- and three-light casements with small leaded panes and tile sills, all set beneath rubbed brick arches. There are two 20th-century glazed doors in the centre, but the original four-panel doors, housed within arched openings and glazed gabled porches, remain in the gables at each end. The main brickwork is in stretcher bond, suggesting the possible presence of an early cavity wall. A commemorative date panel, made of florid terra-cotta, is located in the gables. Walter Bentley Marling, reportedly a local curate, is associated with the property.