Description

555/0/10002

OSWALDKIRK
MAIN STREET
The Old Rectory

28-FEB-06

II
Rectory, C18 and 1836, by Richard Sheppard for the Rector of Oswaldkirk. In ashlar under slate roofs apart from the road elevation which is coursed dressed stone with ashlar quoins, and incorporating an C18 barn in coursed rubble under pantile roof. The roof is low pitched with wide dentilated eaves, and the two central chimneys are in white brick.

PLAN: Main house has two rooms to either side of entrance hall and drawing room, with service rooms to the right and stable block (former barn) at right angles to service wing to rear. The site slopes down to the rear and the right.

EXTERIORS: front elevation to road (north) has a central distyle in antis entrance porch with an original door to the left, a central blind arch and a round arch window to the right, recessed behind two columns and two engaged pillars, and two round arched windows above. The bay to the left has a blind window to the ground floor and a 6 over 9 unhorned sash at first floor. To the right is a matching window at first floor, and two 6 over 6 sashes at ground floor. Service wing to the right has a lower roofline, 4 over 4 sash windows and an entrance door.

Garden elevation (south) has a central single storey canted bay with three 6 over 6 unhorned sash windows and a first floor window of one 2 over 2 central light flanked by narrow four pane lights. To each side, 6 over 6 sashes, those at first floor narrower than the ground floor. String course extending from top of the bay to either side, and a deep plinth to accommodate the fall in ground level. Service wing to the left is stepped back and has an arched glazed entrance, and a gabled bay to the left with 6 over 6 sash above, later casement below. The former barn extends at right angles from the middle of the service wing, and to the left is a doorway. There are the remains of render on the wall to the left of the barn. The barn has a vehicular entrance, a door and an 8 over 8 unhorned sash window on the left side and a single window in the gable end.
East elevation is three windows wide, at ground floor 6 over 6 unhorned sashes with the outer two set in recessed blind arches; at first floor is a central narrow 6 over 6 sash flanked by two-light casements set in recessed panels. The string course extends at first floor height on the forward panels between the blind arches.

West elevation has two ground floor and one first floor sashes, with remains of render on the wall and some evidence of alterations.

INTERIOR: The main door leads into the entrance hall which has a cantilever staircase to the right with stick balusters, a wooden handrail with wreathed end, open string and carved brackets. Iron brackets have been inserted at first floor landing level to reinforce the balustrade. The floor is patterned stone flags. Doorways lead off to the principal rooms. To the left, the dining/breakfast room, originally two rooms, is now joined, with original windows and shutters, cornice, and grey steel fireplace with plain grey marble surround. Drawing room to the rear has canted bay window, ornate ceiling rose, frieze and cornice, and white marble and polished brass fireplace. To the right, through an arched opening, is the library to the rear, with original windows and shutters, and wooden Adams style fire surround. The kitchen to the front has been opened out into the former corridor, and the floor level raised: part of the original stone flagged floor is visible. A short flight of steps leads down to the lower floor level, and continues into the cellars. Three further service rooms beyond, the furthest adapted from stables. An original fireplace in the middle one of these has been lost and replaced with one on the opposite wall. An inserted staircase to the first floor is opposite the first of these.

The former barn, redesigned as a coach house and stables in 1836, is in a poor state of repair and retains few original features.

The first floor of the house retains its original layout for the most part, with original doors, almost all windows, some original fireplaces. The first floor windows to the garden elevation on either side of the bay are higher than the ceilings of the rooms, and there are cut-outs in the ceilings to accommodate this. This appears to be an original feature. Two room attic floor above showing evidence of original roof timbers, and extensive cellar floor below. Ground below dining/breakfast room excavated out and floor joists supported on stone and brick pillars.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: the gardens to the south of the house are landscaped, with the ground falling away substantially to long views. There was no direct access from the principal rooms to the garden.

HISTORY: The earliest part of the building is the former barn, now an outbuilding range at right angles to the main house. This dates, from evidence of Glebe Terriers, to early C18. Plans survive of the new Rectory design dated 1836. These show a range of buildings to the south and west which were to be demolished, the former barn which was to be retained, and the layout of the new Rectory. The rectory was financed by a mortgage agreement between the Rector, the Rev. George Henry Wandesford Comber, and the Governors of the Bounty of Queen Anne for the augmentation of the maintenance of the poor clergy. The building is substantially unchanged from the plans except in two particulars: the canted bay to the drawing room is shown as rounded, and a wide, shallow semi-circular construction to the front of the service wing, containing a well, coal room and store for knives and shoes, was apparently never built. The blind window to the front left bay is shown to have been designed as such and little has been altered apart from the opening out of the dining and breakfast rooms which was done before c.1970. The first floor above the western end of the service wing was rented out separately at one time, and an external staircase and entrance door constructed: these have been removed, but the wall still shows evidence of former changes.

SOURCES:
- Indenture for the extension to Oswaldkirk Rectory April 20th 1836, Borthwick Archives, York
- Transcript of Glebe Terriers 1685-1861, Borthwick Archives, York

SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE: This former rectory falls just within the pre-1840 cut-off point for consideration. Stylistically it falls fairly firmly in the earlier period, and thus reflects its rural location and probably local design. It is architecturally competent, having three main elevations with classical proportions, and it sits well within its grounds. The interior is almost intact, without a lot of detail but retaining a large part of its original plan and decoration. The existence of documentary and plan evidence of its origins add to its historic interest.

This former rectory thus fulfils the criteria for listing on grounds of its architectural quality, its intactness and the degree and quality of its interior survival, and is listed at Grade II.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26670874

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)
• 
  Gloucestershire 2: The Vale and The Forest of Dean: Vale and Forest of Dean Pt. 2 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Liverpool: Pevsner City Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)