For sale through the Canterbury office of Strutt & Parker for the fourth time in as many decades, Grade II*-listed The Old Rectory, in the charming small village of Wickhambreaux, six miles east of the cathedral city, is a picture-perfect example of a classic Queen Anne country house.
Once part of extensive estates owned in the 14th century by Joan, Countess of Kent (wife of Edward, the Black Prince, and mother of Richard II) Wickhambreaux still retains its medieval layout, with the Grade I- listed, 13th-century church of St Andrew, the manor house, rectory, village inn and former watermill encircling the village green.
Selling agent Simon Backhouse, who has handled all four sales in the course of his long and distinguished career, quotes a guide price of £4.25 million for the exquisite former rectory, built in 1713 by the Revd Alexander Young, who was rector from 1712 to 1755.
Previously known as Wickham House and widely recognised as one of the finest early-18th-century houses in East Kent, The Old Rectory stands in more than an acre of gardens and grounds overlooking the church and mill.
The house provides more than 5,500sq ft of elegant accommodation on four floors, including four main reception rooms, a study, kitchen/dining room, eight bedrooms and three bathrooms.
In 2012, The Old Rectory was acquired by the architect and interior designer Giles Newby Vincent, who set about removing the ‘spaghetti junction’ of downpipes that disfigured its outer walls, as a result of which the house was swathed in scaffolding for quite some time, Mr Backhouse recalls.
Newby Vincent completed the reinstatement of the exterior to its pristine original by replacing cement pointing with lime-mortar render and filling the interior with Queen Anne and Georgian antiques. These fetched more than £500,000 at Bonhams in 2014, when the designer decided to sell The Old Rectory to fund the restoration of a dilapidated villa in Saint-Tropez, France.
The present owner, who bought the classic Queen Anne gem with its symmetrical façades that same year, has cleverly transformed the interior without losing its essential Georgian character.
Outside, the partly walled garden is a place of sanctuary. A renovated groom’s cottage — behind which the swimming pool and tennis court are discreetly located — doubles as an entertaining space, one of many scattered throughout the beautifully maintained grounds.
The Old Rectory is for sale via Strutt & Parker at £4.25m — see more details and pictures.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
Best country houses for sale this week
An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for
Credit: H Tiddy
12 stunning character properties for sale at under £400,000
Thatched homes in Cornwall and West Sussex are among the many highlights of these gorgeous character cottages for sale.
-
Rogue sellers and puppy farmers are exploiting Government licensing loopholes at the expense of responsible dog breeders, says The Kennel ClubThe Kennel Club launched a report in the House of Commons last week calling for an urgent review of current licensing regulations.
-
The real Bear Grylls: Country Life Quiz of the Day, July 2, 2025Britain's longest pier is among the highlights of Wednesday's Quiz of the Day.
-
Where Venice once ruled: The roving Venetians left handsome imprints across the Greek world, from its religion to its rambling villasMatthew Dennison explores the lingering traces of Venice's vanished empire — and the best places to buy where it once stood.
-
A delightful 16th century home with some of Kent's most beautiful gardens has come on to the marketThe Grange puts the 'garden' into the Garden of England.
-
A pristine Scottish island for sale at the price of a garage in FulhamA dot on the map of the west coast of Scotland has come on to the market, where you'll be surrounded by sea, living off grid and be neighbours with the local seal colony.
-
18 beautiful homes, from charming cottages to a Highland mansion with unbeatable views, as seen in Country LifeOur look at some of the best homes to come to the market via Country Life in the past week includes Georgian manor houses, charming commutable homes and the grandest home in Newcastle.
-
The gorgeous Somerset home of the designer behind one of Glastonbury's chicest spotsThe Manor in Hinton Blewitt is a glorious Georgian home that ticks every box.
-
A 600-year-old National Trust property that you can call homeThis blooming property in Kent showcases the original garden of England. Penny Churchill takes a look.
-
A wisteria-clad delight with lawns running down to the Thames at the prettiest riverside home for sale in London todayDeodar Road, near Putney High Street, offers unrivalled views of the Thames and is characterful in excess.
-
Five of the most majestic properties for sale in Britain today, from a 1,700-acre estate to a private island, as seen in Country LifeOur look at the best homes to come to the market via Country Life this week includes some genuinely breathtaking places.
