A beautifully proportioned Queen Anne House with wonderful gardens and grounds (further land maybe available by separate negotiation).
The front of the Old Rectory faces west. It is laid out over three floors with elegant, symmetrical, beautifully proportioned light and spacious rooms. The house has been carefully maintained over the 320 years of its existence and retains the majority of its period features, including the particularly impressive oak staircase over all three floors, oak panelled doors and reveals, open fireplaces and large sash windows with window seats.
To the front of the house is an enchanting walled garden with a pathway leading to the original eight panelled oak door with fluted pilasters to the frieze and a cornice running into the apron of the window above. The central hallway extends the depth of the house and from which, the wide staircase rises up two flights, crossing the rear windows to reach the first floor landing.
To the rear of the main hallway, there is a door that gives access to the three room cellar. The current owner has planning permission to re-open the now bricked over original window spaces. There is further door from the hallway, giving access to the York stone terrace at the rear of the house.
To the right of the central hallway is an impressive double drawing room with sash windows to both the front and rear, an Adam fireplace, originally from Branston Hall, and original poured plaster cornice and oak wooden flooring. To the left of the entrance hall is the dining room with sash windows overlooking the front walled garden, an Adam fireplace, also from Branston Hall, and Victorian pine floor.
The second left off the main hallway takes you into an elegant, sunny morning room which faces east. This where the very large inglenook fireplace is sited. It has a Hollington stone floor with a 12.5Kw Clearview log burner. The morning room gives access to the original rectory building, which is now single storey, with storage above, housing a rear hallway used for day to day access, the kitchen, a downstairs cloakroom and utility room. The east end of this building was extended in 1964.
The utility room gives access directly out to the garden. The current owner has architectural plans to remove and replace the 1960s extension with an ultra modern glass building, connecting it to the dovecote. However, please note, that planning permission has not been applied for, although the plans were drawn up in consultation with English Heritage. The drawings are available at request.
On the first floor, the principal bedroom neighbours a bathroom with a wetroom and adjacent dressing room. A door could be opened from the bedroom to create a principal suite. There are two further large double bedrooms on the first floor, one with an en suite wetroom, the other with an en suite bathroom, which can also be used as a family bathroom as it has a second entrance off the landing. The staircase continues up over two flights to the second floor with a large landing, which gives access to three further double bedrooms, a single bedroom with plumbing in place to convert into a bathroom, a further family bathroom, and a large media or games room with a woodburning stove.
The current owners have undertaken a meticulously sympathetic restoration of the property over 12 years, to include complete re-wiring, re plumbing, and re-decoration. The house is beautifully presented and stands in stunning formal and informal gardens. An attractive courtyard provides an excellent range of outbuildings including and dovecote and former coach house. Further land extending to 2.55 acres (coloured in green on the plan) could be available, this would be subject to a development uplift clause.
Outside
A most attractive walled courtyard sits to the side of the house with a former coach house providing garaging and loft storage space. The coach house also includes a small stable/ tack room, and a larger stable with a new Loddon sliding partition. To the opposite side is a further red brick building currently used as a further garage, with a two storey section used for storage. Both buildings are very useful and could be converted to other uses. To the third side is the original two storey dovecote, with its own separate listing, with a coal and log store underneath on one side, and further storage for garden equipment on the other side.
To the rear of the house is a wide paved terrace with steps, leading to sweeping lawns surrounded by herbaceous borders and flower beds with views beyond. The expansive gardens boast a woodland area, an orchard, an attractive brook and a number of both mature and specimen trees, roses, honeysuckle and wisteria. Of particular note are the two magnificent copper beach trees. Furthermore, at the end of the garden, is an En-Tout Cas tennis court.
View payable Stamp Duty for this property
The quintessential Queen Anne old rectory.
Tony Morris-Eyton