08 May 2021

living the Old Rectory dream - classical proportions, symmetry and natural light

The C18th was the best age for the English vicarage as the educated Anglican clergy was now living in comfort, in the reign of Queen Anne (1702-14). Firstly Queen Anne's Bounty was a fund established in 1704 to augment the incomes of the poorer Church of England clergy. The bounty was funded by the tax on the incomes of all Church of England clergy. Secondly her Tory ministers supported the Church of England by using the Coal Tax to build magnificent new churches in London designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor, James Gibbs and others. And they introduced tithes to support parish churches and clerics throughout the country.

Old Rectory at Wingfield in Wiltshire 
first built in 1539 and substantially renovated in c1790.  
Sold by the Church in 1974

During King George III's reign (1760- )an Act of Parliament was passed to “promote Residence of the Parochial Clergy by making provisions for the more speedy and effectual building, repairing or purchasing Houses and other necessary buildings and Tenements for the use of their benefices”.

Clearly the C18th led to a great burst of parsonage building or refurbishing, so I went through Country Life magazine for the last five years, and analysed every single C18th ex-rectory that had been published. It was a labour of love since, as anyone who read my blog posts on ex-rectories would know, this is my favourite form of housing. And none more so than the handsome Old Rectory at Wingfield, near Bradford on Avon, in Wiltshire.

Old vicarages, and all the Church of England's defrocked plant, were in hot demand. While it was very sad that the Church had to lose its clerics' homes, I do understand these substantial homes suggested permanence and stability to historically minded buyers, and an evocative past.

A detailed history of the parish in the County of Wilshire was fascinating. The church of St Mary lay at the south-east end of Wingfield Village, consisting of a chancel, nave, west tower, south porch and a vestry. With the exception of the 15th century tower and chancel arch, the building dated from the C17th, and all the windows except one were from then. The later vestry, built on the north side, housed an organ that was installed by the 5th Earl Temple of Stowe. There was a private school at Wingfield from 1800, kept by the rector, Rev Edward Spencer. In 1833 there was a (second?) school at Wingfield, supported by voluntary contributions and attended by 25 children.

Now let me quote Country Life (5/3/2014). Built of Bath stone under a distinctive slate-and-stone mansard roof, the handsome Georgian rectory, listed Grade II, was originally owned by Keynsham Abbey until the Dissol­ution in 1539, and eventually bought in a ruinous condition by Rector Edward Spencer in the late 1700s. According to parish records, Spencer rebuilt the house at considerable expense in a plain substantial manner for his own residence. His smart new rectory, which sat near the church of St Mary, was soon the focal point of life in the village.

The Old Rectory was at the end of Church Lane in Wingfield village, in an area of particular natural beauty in the Avon green belt. It lay to the south of the picturesque Saxon town of Bradford-on-Avon, through which the Kennet & Avon Canal passed, and to the west of Trowbridge. The historic world heritage city of Bath provided all the services that the vicar could have needed.

Even after its sale by the Church in 1974, the Old Rectory took up a lot of land. It had six acres of gardens, hedges, mature trees, copses and pasture, and views across open countryside to the famous White Horse at Westbury.

The house was spacious and well-proportioned, with the main reception rooms, country kitchen and orangery-breakfast room on the ground floor. The first floor housed bedrooms, a bathroom and a study; the second floor had more bedrooms. The vicar had either a very large family or a lot of church visitors who needed to stay in his home.

Old Rectory at near Cradley, near Malvern in Worcestershire
Photo credit: Wolsey Lodges

The Wingfield property was entranced through wrought iron gates hinged on two substantial stone pillars flanked by a stone boundary wall. The Old Rectory was a delightful Grade II Listed Georgian family house constructed of Bath stone elevations under slate and stone mansard roofs. The front of the building dated from the 1780s although the rear parts were older. Flagstone terraces were laid out in front.

Large sash windows and a garden door with an attractive fan light characterised the front facade which faces the south. Stunning far-reaching views extended across farmland to the Westbury White Horse. The archit­ecture was typical C18th, with fireplaces surrounded by stone, cornicing, panelled doors and large sash windows.

A key feature of The Old Rectory was a purpose-built oak barn with slate roof incorporating exposed beam and plaster elevations, and a first floor with floor-to-ceiling windows in the gable ends. I am in love... and am already discussing with the moving people where my book and painting collections will go. The library in my Old Rectory will have to be spacious, filled with natural light and comfortable.

An  1835 survey found c2,000 rectories across Britain were unfit for humans. Newly installed vicars often reported flooding, squatters, wood rot, rising damp or poison from the grave yards. So was that the end of the Anglican rectory, its resident family and perhaps the entire Church of England? 

Georgian rectory in the Oxfordshire countryside
and adjoining chapel.

Social History of the Victorian Parson (Amberley, 2015) discussed the Victorian parson in a rapidly changing world. The Church battled on to remain in the centre of UK’s affairs and took on new responsibilities. After a series of reforms, the nature of the Anglican parson's appointment and tenure changed and the typical parson was now resident, well educated, public-spirited. Campaigning for new schools, healthier living conditions and humanitarian values, the vicar very often championed the lower classes. This was despite remote, hostile communities, churches that were unfit for purpose and uncooperative local landowners.

light, spacious entry of The Vale, Berks
photo credit: Curbed

The impressive cultural and literary history of rectories has been examined separately.




23 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've never understood the different names for homes of the clergy; vicarage, manse, rectory, parsonage and more.

I doubt the Church of England was so poor in the 1700s that it couldn't properly pay its clergy.

I especially like the Wingfield rectory.

Student of History said...

I remember Anthony Trollope's books Framley Parsonage and Vicar of Bullhampton from many years ago. A Victorian era novelist and totally worth reading.

Haddock said...

For something built in 1539 it is so well maintained.

Parnassus said...

Hello Hels, In general, I like restorations in England because they respect the age of the building, and aren't too now looking. This can especially be a problem with interiors in the U.S., which are gutted at totally remodeled, with new material and with no regard to the original arrangement of the building. If I were restoring one of these parsonages or another old house, I would not allow power tools to be used too much--they (and sheetrock) are among the reasons why restorations get that flat-shiny-new look. Contractors here in Taiwan won't even tighten a screw without a power screwdriver.
--Jim

Hels said...

Andrew

the words are used so interchangeably now, I also don't know the difference. Michael Graham says:
A Rectory sits at the top of the parish pile since it was the rector who ran the parish and collected tithes. In those days the rector also had a vicar, and their lesser role meant the vicars were given a smaller property. Their Vicarage could have been anything from a cosy cottage to bigger. Most were built during the Georgian and Victorian eras and the word ‘parsonage’ is used to describe both.

A Manse used to be a house inhabited by the minister of a parish, but not paid for by the church. This term is mainly used in Scotland now.

Hels said...

Student,

Yes indeed. Although Trollope was mainly a novelist, he also wrote "Clergymen of the Church of England" dealing with the crisis of faith in the Church and the crisis of structural reform. Trollope's life and work were often involved with his views of the Church of England and its members, weren't they?

Hels said...

Haddock

Yes the Old Rectory at Wingfield in Wiltshire was first built in 1539, but we know that 250 years later it was substantially renovated. So although it was well built originally, it seems that we will never seen anything of the 1539 building.

Furthermore the front entrance was rebuilt in the 19th century and the architraves, sashes and conservatory were changed in the 20th century.
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1021892

Hels said...

Parnassus

Isn't the sad truth. Just one additional thought - I wonder if restorations across Britain respect the age in precious buildings that are NOT protected under Heritage Legislation.

And another thing I had not thought about. Alterations to churches etc usually fall outside this system as most denominations have their own internal systems of control and are exempt from the secular system of heritage protection. However demolition still requires secular listed building consent as the building is no longer in use at the point of demolition.

https://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/uk-heritage-protection/uk-heritage-protection.htm

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Hels ... we used to live in a rectory and we had a lot of friends who lived in rectories, old breweries, Halls, farm houses, school houses etc ... I always felt for the clergy, who had to move from a wonderful spacious property to a modern, fairly small house - easier and cheaper to maintain ... but not very nice. The old properties in villages are always spacious and gave an air of respect. C'est la vie ... but not a necessity - interesting your fascination for these properties. All the best - Hilary

Hels said...

Hilary

I always admired Georgian architecture and Georgian town planning. But once I learned about rectories being sold off by the Church, there was another concern - for preserving those special homes from destruction by greedy land grabbers. Most of my information back then came from Country Life magazine, bless its heart :)

Luiz Gomes said...

Boa tarde Hels. Uma arquitetura totalmente diferente da que estamos acostumados aqui no Brasil. Parabéns pelo seu trabalho excelente.

Pipistrello said...

Hi Hels,

I hadn't realised this was a passion of yours, and I can see why! I'm going to have to put my hand up for a visit for when you move into your chosen charming, and yet eminently liveable, des res :) Ahem, when do bookings open?

Hels said...

Luiz

I assumed that every architectural style, wherever they started, spread across the world evenly. Eg there are nearly as many Art Deco buildings in India and New Zealand as there are in France where the style started.

But apparently Georgian architecture became hugely popular largely in old British Empire countries and the USA, not Brasil as you noted.

Hels said...

Pipistrello

Spouse and I lived in away from Australia for the first 5 years of our marriage (1971-6), in relative poverty. But the more we visited stately homes, gardens, parks and religious buildings, the more we understood that fortunate people could live in airy, healthy, beautiful houses instead of in squalour.

Now I have permanently retired, the best I can offer you is luscious espresso in Acland St *sigh*.

Fun60 said...

On my travels I see more and more rectories and vicarages that have been converted into apartments. In fact I have been surprised at the number of churches that have been decommissioned and have changed usage. I smiled as you described trawling through Country Life magazines.

Hels said...

Fun60

if the vicarages you saw underwent major conversions, that suggests two possibilities:

1. the homes were not subject to any Heritage Protection and the new owners could do anything they liked with these historically vital sites, or

2. they _were_ subject to Heritage Protection, but on the exterior only. The new owners could turn the interiors into blocks of flats, gymnasiums or MacDonald's businesses, if they wanted.

mem said...

I too love this style of building .I think its because there is no gloss and its all a state of gentle controlled decay and acceptance of the Kiss of Time. My GGGGrandfather was a vicars in Northern Ireland. he oversaw the rebuilding of his church in Newwtownards and also the establishment of a very nice house in Magherafelt d=for himself . It unfortunately was built with the proceeds of his wifes inheritance which came from Slavery :(. The house stayed in the family until the 1970s. I actually think one of the reasons for these grand buildings was that the vicar was often the younger son of a gentry family and so felt they had to maintain the standards which they and their wife had become accustomed to and also of course the birth of many children required larger homes.

Hels said...

mem

the gentry were well-bred families of good social position, connected to landed estates and upper levels of the clergy. So it makes perfect sense to me that your ancestors' lovely home was kept within the family, generation after generation.

I remember this from Matriculation History. In landed families, the eldest son inherited the estate and went into politics, the second son joined the army, the third son joined the Church and and the fourth son went into Law :)

CherryPie said...

I love those properties of classical proportions.

Hels said...

CherryPie

agreed. I quite liked free-standing Victorian houses that were built with elaborate trims, sash windows, bay windows, 2 or 3 imposing storeys, asymmetrical shapes, steep Mansard roofs, wrap-around porches and loud but dark colours. But the decorative flashiness dominated and so our tastes moved on.

Taste for the classical proportions and airiness of Georgian architecture is not limited to a few decades.

Hồng My said...

bài viết hay quá, tôi cũng là 1 kiến trúc sư, tôi đánh giá rất cao những mẫu thiết kế của bạn chúng tôi chuyên thiết kế các mẫu nhà cấp 4 có gác lửng bạn vào website đưể trao đổi công năng cũng như các vấn đề khác nhé

Hels said...

Hồng My

thank you. I am not surprised when historically-focused art historians enjoy analysing Georgian church facilities. But I am thrilled when modern architects do.

Hels said...

Mark

I am delighted to hear that you were actually living there. Even though it was a less than beautiful lifestyle for your family, your experience was very special in its time. In Country Life (2014) they said they sold 28 houses in the region for more than £2 million, sometimes twice that.