Old Rectory

Cadw's description

Location

Located immediately to the North of St Mary Church, within the centre of the village.

History

The house appears to have been built or reconstructed by Thomas Wilkins, c1590. Allegedly utilising salvaged materials, particularly windows, from the reconstruction of the adjacent parish church in the later C16. Thomas Wilkins was the first of three generations of the Wilkins family who served as Rectors at St Mary Church. His grandson, Thomas, married Jane Carne, daughter of Thomas Carne of Nash. The initials "R.W" cut into the hall fireplace may refer to Roger Wilkins who died in 1648. Modern renovations.

Exterior

C16 Rectory, of two storeys plus attic. Lias limestone rubble elevations with window and door dressings of Sutton stone. Gabled, slated roof with three chimneys, one axial, one gable and one which rises form the wallplate on the N side. The S slope of the roof has two modern gabled dormers with central rooflight. Three rooflights to rear slope. The S elevation has two, renewed two-light lancet windows of C12 form at first floor level with a small, square-headed stairlight at the E end. At ground floor level are a pair of four-centred, dressed stone doorways, the W doorway is of C16 date, while the E doorway appears to be a later insertion. The jambs to both doorways are plain chamfered, with hollow stops with fillet. On the E end is a three-light mullioned window, each with four centred head and sunk spandrels, with hollow chamfers beneath a hoodmould with square label stops. At the W end is a two-light, C14 style square headed window with two trefoil-headed lights beneath a hoodmould. The W gable has a projecting corbelled stack which has been capped at eaves level and has been replaced with a later, flush stack. On the N side of the stack is a modern three-light, multi-paned casement at ground floor level, beneath a modern hoodmould. Above this window is a C19 (?) arched window with modern multi-paned casement. Two later single storey gabled wings with slated roofs are attached to the N elevation with assorted modern, multi-paned fenestration. The single storey range on the NW side appears to incorporate a C19 (?) lean-to. The W gable has a coped upstand with two 2-light multi-paned casements with modern hoodmoulds with small high set single light slot window at attic level.

Interior

The ground floor of the main range comprises two units with a passageway to the rear of the main stack. The hall is entered from the outer room on the S side of the chimney stack. The hall ceiling retains three exposed beams with broad chamfers and hollow cut stops with fillet. The later joists are plain. The fireplace on the W end of the hall has dressed stone jambs and a plain-chamfered timber lintol. On the N side of the fireplace is a cross-corner, four-centred doorway which formerly accessed the original stair, since removed. The W ground floor room has a smaller fire with timber lintol in the NW corner with oven on the W jamb. Inserted presumably in the C18 when this room was converted to a kitchen. The first floor is accessed by a modern straight flight stair, which rises from within the modern additions to the N across the position of the original stair. The first floor plan follows that of the ground. Over the hall is a chamber which may have originally been accessed from an external stair. The two-centred doorway on the E elevation having a window inserted within the opening. The W chamber is entered on the E by the modern stair which retains the original cross slab roof over. The attic is reached by a spiral stair on the S side of the axial stack which has been converted.

Reason for designation

Listed for the special interest of its origins as the C16 rectory.