The Old Vicarage And East Vicarage

The Old Vicarage and East Vicarage are a pair of former residences dating to around 1860, designed by SS Teulon for the Reverend George Blissett. They originally served as the vicarage for the nearby Church of St Thomas and have since been divided into two separate dwellings.

The buildings are constructed of local grey and red stone with Bath stone dressings, showcasing a polychromatic design, and have a Welsh slate roof with prominent stone chimney stacks. They are built in the Gothic Revival style and have an L-shaped layout, with The Old Vicarage forming the main west block and East Vicarage representing the former servants’ wing.

The south garden elevation, with three plus three bays, features a single-story unit projecting forward to the east. The facade incorporates chamfered plinth, ashlar quoins, and offset buttresses. Most windows are sash windows set in quoined ashlar surrounds with shouldered heads, while the single-story wing has chamfered mullioned windows. A narrow central bay provides access via steps to a French door with a fanlight, sheltered by a gabled ironwork porch. Other notable features include an angled bay window with a pyramidal roof and finial, and a projecting gabled bay featuring paired sash windows and a gable oculus.

The south elevation of East Vicarage is characterized by three-light and two-light windows, and a gable above one bay. The single-story wing to the right has inserted French doors, while further bays feature a four-light chamfered mullioned and transom window and a tall two-light mullioned and transom window on the first floor. A pointed-arched recess displays a shield and hoodmould above paired lancets.

The north elevation has eight irregular bays, reflecting the overall character of the buildings. A single-story lean-to is present alongside a projecting gabled section with an attic window.

Interiors of The Old Vicarage include panelled doors with slender attached columns and panelled soffites, shutters, trefoil-cut ceiling friezes, a good stone fireplace with a decorative tile surround in the entrance hall, a dog-leg staircase with moulded splat balusters, and a matching two-bay arcaded screen. The servants’ wing has panelled doors, red and black quarry tile floors, fireplaces, and a dog-leg staircase with stick balusters. The Reverend Blissett and SS Teulon were also responsible for the design of the Church of St Thomas and St Thomas Terrace.