An imposing former rectory that stands within 11 acres of stunning grounds — for sale for £5.95 million

Alex Barton of Strutt & Parker’s Newbury office is handling the sale of Grade II-listed The Old Rectory at Chilton Foliat on the West Berkshire/Wiltshire border, two miles north of Hungerford and 11 miles from Newbury, which comes to the market for the first time in 50 years, at a guide price of £5.95 million.

Screened from the village by a high brick-and-flint wall, the imposing, 9,500sq ft former rectory stands in some 11 acres of immaculate gardens and grounds that merge into the surrounding parkland, which belongs to the estate of which the Old Rectory was once a part.

The house, which stands alongside the 12th-century Norman church of St Mary’s, dates, according to its listing, from the mid 18th century, with a late-18th-century wing incorporating an earlier, 17th-century, square structure of two storeys and an attic. A former 17th-century manor house to the west of the church was demolished in the 1750s.

Owned by Abingdon Abbey until the Dissolution, the former rectory was sold by the Crown in 1546 to Sir Edward Darrell of Littlecote House, as part of Chilton Foliat Manor. In 1578, it was sold to Sir Ernest Wills as part of the Littlecote estate, and descended thereafter with the manor and Littlecote House.

According to the Victoria County History, Berkshire, the original building late-16th- or early 17th-century building was probably timber frame. Early in the 17th century, a south range of flint rubble was added to the front of the east wing. The main south front was rebuilt in brick in the early 18th century and a north staircase block was added between the main house and the kitchen range to the west.

The remodelling included the addition of the elegant, bow-fronted drawing room and the principal bedroom suite above. Later that century, a sloping bay, the side windows of which were blocked, was added to the south of the early-17th-century range. Also then, or early in the 19th century, the space between the wings at the back was filled and service rooms were added to the west of the house.

The former rectory was put up for sale in 1963, when a new rectory was built. The following year, it was acquired by the writer Auberon Waugh and his wife, Lady Teresa Onslow, who married in 1961 and lived in London for a time before moving to Chilton Foliat.

In 1971, having failed to sell his father, Evelyn’s, dilapidated Combe Florey House in Somerset, Waugh bought that house from his mother and moved there with his family instead.

By that time, the present owners of The Old Rectory had bought the house from the Waugh estate; they further enhanced it some 20 years ago with the addition of the bespoke orangery/drawing room, sitting room and guest bedroom, bathroom and dressing room.

Today, the accommodation, arranged over three floors, includes, on the ground floor, a large reception hall, a spacious drawing room, an unusual square dining room located next to the kitchen in the oldest part of the house, plus a comfortable study overlooking the gardens, a sitting room, garden room and conservatory.

An impressive Queen Anne staircase leads to the first floor and six comfortable bedrooms and bathrooms, with a further six bedrooms on the second floor. A flat above the garage houses a self-contained, two-bedroom staff flat.

The gardens surrounding the house are beautifully designed and maintained, with manicured lawns, colourful borders and inspired specimen planting. At the back of the house is a large Yorkstone terrace interspersed with flowering shrubs and plants; to the side is a large flat lawn, much used for croquet, which rises via stone steps towards the terrace and swimming pool.

The pièce de résistance is the delightful swimming-pool garden, enclosed by mellow brick walls lined with mature fig trees and, on the pool house itself, a magnificent, fully flowering wisteria.

The Old Rectory is currently on the market via Strutt & Parker with a guide price of £6.75 million — see more pictures, or enquire with the agent for further details. 

Chilton Foliat: What you need to know

Location: On the River Kennet, just 2.5 miles from Hungerford, where trains link to London Paddington.

Atmosphere: The charming village has a thriving community with a local pub, village school and glorious countryside surroundings. Excellent facilities are on offer in the neighbouring village of Ramsbury, with a tennis club, gastro-pub, doctors surgery, village school and village shop; whilst Hungerford provides further amenities.

Things to do: The surrounding countryside offers excellent opportunities for walking and cycling, whilst Hungerford and Marlborough are home to a number of shops, restaurants and independent boutiques.

Schools: Chilton Foliant Church of England Primary School, Hungerford Primary School and John O'Gaunt School are all rated 'good' by Ofsted.

See more property for sale in the area.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

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