In the Oxfordshire Cotswolds, Damian Gray of Knight Frank quotes a guide price of £3m for historic, Grade II-listed The Old Rectory in the vibrant market town of Charlbury. This property is nestled in the scenic Evenlode valley, hidden away down winding B-roads and yet with its own railway station that provides regular fast services to London Paddington. Now ‘a global destination for international buyers,’ according to Mr Gray, it may well be that Charlbury’s location, five miles from Estelle Manor, eight miles from Daylesford, 8½ miles from Soho Farmhouse and 17 miles from Oxford’s many excellent schools, will continue to make the town a magnet for some of Oxfordshire’s wealthiest and most demanding purchasers.
Last sold in 1991, The Old Rectory was originally the vicarage house to Charlbury’s Grade I-listed parish church of St Mary, and, according to the Victoria County History of Oxfordshire, ‘was a sizeable house, even in 1635’. It was remodelled in the 18th century, perhaps by William Seward (vicar from 1771–90), ‘who found it necessary to rebuild the vicarage-house before he could live in the parish’.
In 1853, however, the house was declared inadequate, due to ‘the imperfect, fanciful, and inconvenient repairs of the former incumbent, Thomas Silver’, whose additions included a ‘Saxon’ tower, which still survives. It was decided to replace the old vicarage with the present large Gothic Revival house designed by the Oxford-born architect Samuel Seckham. In the end, the new house was built alongside the old and given the name The Old Rectory, which was later sold, and a new vicarage house built in the garden.
Today’s former rectory combines the enduring charm of a historic house with the modern amenities required for family living in the country. It offers more than 4,700 sq ft of well-presented accommodation on three floors.
On the ground floor you'll find a reception hall, three fine main reception rooms, a study, and a large kitchen/breakfast room with a vast wine cellar below.
Above, on the first floor, are five bedrooms — one in each corner of the house, plus a huge principal bedroom with the bay window — and three bathrooms.
The house stands in almost two acres of beautifully landscaped gardens and grounds, with many established specimen trees, shrubs, impressive topiary, raised beds and glorious views over the Evenlode valley.
And did we mention the pool? There's a pool.
The owners have also created superb equestrian facilities, which include a stable yard with four loose boxes, a paddock and a full-size all-weather manège.
They also have an annual grazing licence from the neighbouring Cornbury estate on a further five acres, which may also be available to the new owner.
The Old Rectory in Charlbury is for sale at £3 million — see more pictures and details.
-
The Old Rectory for sale in a village up the road from Jane Austen's home, where the family lived that might have inspired some of her most memorable charactersIn the village of Dummer, close to Jane Austen's family home at Steventon, a beautiful old rectory has cone to the market. Penny Churchill takes a look.
-
'I’m going to be the first in more than 100 years to sell anything off': How the upcoming budget uncertainty is impacting young farmersChanges to inheritance tax, property relief and Defra budgets will likely change Britian's rural landscape. We ask the next generation of farmers what they think their future will look like.
-
The Old Rectory for sale in a village up the road from Jane Austen's home, where the family lived that might have inspired some of her most memorable characters
In the village of Dummer, close to Jane Austen's family home at Steventon, a beautiful old rectory has cone to the market. Penny Churchill takes a look.
-
The pink granite chateau that the Cointreau family built in the Loire Valley is for sale at £3.5 millionThe great country seats of the Guinness family have an equivalent over the Channel, where the chateau built by the Cointreau family is on the market.
-
Is this the end of the Forever Home?The classic dream of finding a family house in which you can settle down, raise a family and grow old has never been harder to obtain. So has the concept of the 'Forever Home' had its day? Annabel Dixon reports.
-
An Arts-and-Crafts home that sits in prime position in the most exclusive (and priciest) road in HampshireWith its own private jetty on the Beaulieu River, The Rookery is a rare and beautiful home. Penny Churchill takes a look.
-
A home where medieval, Georgian and modern come together in rare styleSet in a couple of acres in the leafy outskirts of Essex, Rochfords is a family house that blends old and new with charm and a sense of fun.
-
A private island in the Thames Estuary is up for sale at £50,000, complete with its own Victorian fortDarnet Fort is seeking a new owner — but it's going to need someone of great vision and spirit.
-
A 500-year-old house with Soho House-style interiors, Chelsea gold medallist gardens and a grass tennis courtHaslingfield Manor is an extraordinary mix of styles and ideas, from Tudor Britain to the cutting edge of modern design. Penny Churchill takes a look.
-
Utterly wonderful country homes for sale across Britain, from a 10-bedroom mansion to a Devon hideaway, as seen in Country LifeFrom an irresistibly charming house in Devon to a 400-year-old commutable home in Hertfordshire, here's our pick of some of the best homes to come to market via Country Life in the past week.
