The Old Rectory

The Old Rectory is a house of the 18th century, constructed with coursed squared lias stone walls and Bath stone dressings, topped with a steep roof of Welsh slate. The building is notable for its elaborately detailed French medieval character. It is two storeys and an attic high, and features three tall chimney stacks, each with a decorative band of open arcading near the top.

The south elevation is arranged around three bays, with windows of two lights in the two western bays and three lights in the eastern bay. Attic windows have trefoil heads, and windows on both the attic and first floors are separated by slender columns with capitals and cinquefoil panelling between the floors. The attic window in the eastern bay is a projecting feature, rising from within the truncated pyramidal roof. A lean-to veranda, supported by stone columns with capitals, runs along the ground floor. A recessed tower bay with a hipped slate roof and narrow windows on both the first and ground floors is located at the west end.

The east elevation has a tall, truncated pyramidal roof over the southern bay, mirroring the design on the south elevation. This bay contains a two-storey projecting bay window with a separate window on each floor; the first-floor window has a trefoil head, while the ground-floor window is cambered. A lower wing set at a right angle has a gable facing north. This wing has a paired sash window on the ground floor. To the north of this bay is a gabled and buttressed projecting porch, entered from the north.

The north elevation includes a gabled porch with a pointed arch of dressed stone, finial, and buttresses, and a small lean-to outshut on its western side. Above the porch is a gable with a cinquefoil light and a relieving arch. A narrow second bay has a single sash window with a shouldered head on both the first and ground floors, and a cusped light in the attic. A wing adjoins the western end of the main gable, with a doorway and two windows in its northern wall, all having shouldered heads. These windows are 2-over-2 pane sashes.

The complex interplay of rooflines and gables, as illustrated in Prichard’s drawings, is visible from a distance on all elevations.

According to the owner, the interior has been extensively altered from its original Victorian layout, although it was not inspected during a recent survey.