Fewer names in the UK drum up as much emotion, as much sense of place, as 'The Old Rectory'. This edition, in the sought-after village of Welham, is as good an example as any.
Stephen King of King West quotes a guide price of £1.6m for this landmark Welland Valley house, Grade II-listed The Old Rectory. It lies on the north bank of the river, four miles north-east of Market Harborough.
According to British History Online, the only buildings on the south side of the village main street are the manor house, the Grade II*-listed Church of St Andrew and the late-18th-century former rectory, which probably occupy the site of a medieval village that apparently once lay to the south of the church.
The remainder of the village, on the north side of the main street, is the result of a complete rebuilding carried out in about 1720 by Francis Edwards, who was lord of the manor.
The Old Rectory is approached from the village lane via a tree-lined gravel driveway enclosed by traditional estate fencing and bordered by box hedging. Its two acres of gardens, grounds and paddock are mainly laid out to the south of the house, with a dry-stone wall leading to a sheltered paddock, part of which descends to the banks of the Welland. To the east of the house is a stable block, comprising three loose boxes and a tack/feed room.
During the tenure of the current owner, the former rectory, built of mellow stone under a blue-slate roof, has undergone extensive renovation, including the addition of an extension incorporating a vast kitchen/living and dining space.
In all, the house provides more than 4,270sq ft of linear living space, with — in addition to the shiny new kitchen/breakfast room — a reception hall, study, living room, sitting room and garden room on the ground floor, and five bedrooms and two bath/shower rooms on the first and second floors.
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