Description

WOODSTOCK RECTORY LANE
SP4416NW (South side)
9/237 The Bishop's House
18/10/49 (Formerly listed as Rectory)
GV II*
Rectory, now house. 1683-1686 for John Fell, Bishop of Oxford; Baroque-style
additions c.1710 for Edward Strong. Coursed limestone rubble and squared and
coursed limestone; gabled stone slate roof; end and lateral stacks of stone
ashlar finished in brick. Cruciform plan, with angles to front infilled in early
C18. Front has late C17 three-storey gable end flanked by early C18 two-storey
blocks. Early C18 bracketed stone flat hood, with guttae to brackets, over C18
double-leaf doors set in moulded stone architrave. Door flanked by narrow C20
windows set in C17 chamfered stone architraves; C20 window with similar
architrave and late C18 six-pane sash above door. Early C18 blocks, with corner
piers rising above parapet, have late C19 canted bay window to left and keyed
segmental arches over C19 six-pane sashes, and over late C19 plate-glass sash to
right. Left side of block to left has massive bracketed open pediment set above
early C18 six-pane sash with thick glazing bars, set in Baroque-style keyed
architrave with guttae carved under brackets. Rest of house has late C17
chamfered stone architraves and late C18 six-pane sashes. Interior: noted as
having bolection-moulded fireplaces and mid C18 panelled rooms. Built for the
use of the Rector of Bladon. Edward Strong was owner of the Taynton quarries and
therefore deeply involved in the building of Blenheim Palace: this was one of
the houses which Sarah Churchill alleged had been built from stone paid for by
the Blenheim account, and this would account for the additions to the house.
(information from VCH; Buildings of England: Oxfordshire: p858)

Listing NGR: SP4431016707

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17532650

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

• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
• 
  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Care and Repair
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Huddersfield in 50 Buildings