Tall Trees

Location

200 m E of Ludchurch Cross, on the S side of an unclassified road.

History

Built in 1868 as Ludchurch Rectory, in the time of the Rev. Charles Cornish. £600 was donated to its cost to which the Ecclesiastical Commissioners added £600. The house is now a private residence, having become redundant as a parsonage when the parish of Ludchurch was united with Begelly.

Exterior

A large but compactly planned parsonage of two storeys, in a gothic style, with mixed masonry in contrasting stone types and colours. The grey stones in the mix and the larger stones used as quoins are the local limestone. Window dressings and some contrasting bands in the masonry are in oolitic limestone. Reddish-grey tile roof. Chimneys in the same masonry as the walling.

The house has a complicated roof form, with a N/S roof intersected by a triple E/W roof, the latter with three gables to the E, en echelon; only two of the spans come through as gables on the W (front) elevation, which is therefore reminiscent of hall and cross wing plan form, with a gabled porch with chamfered archway offset to the right of the central range. Long window with four mullions beneath the eaves over the porch. Single light and paired mullioned and transomed windows elsewhere, some with trefoiled heads. The S elevation, facing the garden, is of two windows width, with the gable of the N/S roof to emphasise the main room. 3-light mullioned and transomed window with trefoiled head to ground floor of this gable, with mullioned window above; simpler windows to left hand bay, but all have relieving arches. Central gable of E elevation has 3-light mullioned and transomed window on each floor, both with relieving arch over: that to upper window has voussoirs of contrasting stonework. Central gable in N elevation, similarly detailed with 3-light mullioned and transomed window to ground floor, 2-light window above, with trefoiled headed lights, and inset quatrefoil panel in the tympanum formed by the relieving arch.

Reason for designation

Listed as a well-preserved 'textbook' mid-Victorian parsonage of considerable character, exhibiting gothic revival principals both in the skilful use of materials to decorative effect, and in expressive massing.