Description

DIPTFORD
SX75NW The Old Rectory
4/240
6.11.86

GV II

Rectory, now a private house. Probably 1830-40 extended later in the C19.
Probably stone rubble stuccoed and lined out. Slate hipped roof, the deep
eaves with plastered soffit. Rendered axial stacks.
Plan: Rectangular double depth plan with 2 principal rooms and kitchen on
the south garden front; the drawing room to the left dining room at the
centre and the kitchen to the right behind blind windows for the sake of
symmetry. Behind the kitchen there are other service rooms which project a
little of the rear and the back stairs. The main stair hall, entered from
the back, is at the centre behind the dining room and a smaller study is
situated behind the drawing room to the left. the porch and entrance lobby
on the back (or north entrance front) may be a mid C19 addition and the
former dairy (now a dining room) to the rear (north) right is certainly a
later C19 addition. Also later C19 is some minor interior alterations
including the redecoration of the dining room.
Exterior: 2 storeys. The south garden front is symmetrical, 2:2:2 bays
with 2-light transomed casements with glazing bars the first floor may be
later C19 replacements and the ground floor are French windows, all with
granite cills and thresholds, the right hand 2 ground floor windows were
originally dummies concealing the kitchen behind but now have facsimile
French windows. Across the ground floor there was originally a verandah
which returned around the left hand 3-bay west front which has the same
fenestration but the right hand first floor is blind. To the left the
entrance porch has a lean-to roof against the north elevation supported on
slim granite columns; the doorway to the entrance lobby set back has
panelled double doors and a roll moulded architrave with blocks at the
corners; on the north side of the lobby there is a large tripartite fixed-
light window with lattice and margin pane and similar roll moulded
architrave. Above the single storey lobby is the stair window, a sash with
lattice panes; to the left of the stair window the late C19 2-storey
extension projects under a lean-to roof which is a continuation of the main
hipped roof. The east elevation is the service side with a note quite
symmetrical arrangements of C19 2-light transomed casements with glazing
bars, the first floor left blank the ground floor left blocked and doorway
to right of centre with a rectangular overlight with glazing bars and a
flush panel door now partly glazed.
Interior: the drawing room has an egg-and-dart cornice, border around the
ceiling with palmettes and ceiling centrepiece with large acanthus leaves,
all with original colour and gilding.
The window pelmets with acanthus decoration are also gilded. The marble
chimneypiece has a fine cast iron grate on casteros with brass acanthus
leaves and lions paws to the consoled ends. The dining room (now sitting
room) has a later C19 moulded cornice with a trailing vine ceiling border
and ceiling rose with acanthus leaves. The black marble chimneypiece is
also late C19; the north end of the room has a large elliptically arched
alcove. The study is plain and the fireplace is blocked. the entrance
lobby has C19 glazed double doors to the stair hall which has a domed
centrepiece containing a ligit rose with large acanthus leaves; there is no
ceiling cornice. the open-well stairs have turned wooden balusters which
probably replace plain stick balusters but the moulded mahogany handrail is
original and is wreathed over the curtail; the tread ends are scrolled.
the staircase leads to a spacious landing on the first

Listing NGR: SX7270356765

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26506576

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide