A vicarage designed by one of Queen Victoria's favourite architects, exquisitely refurbished to keep every ounce of original character — and even a few cracks and crumbles

What's more impressive to you: a gleaming skyscraper, or an ancient cathedral? A state-of-the-art F1 car, or the sort of 1950s era racer that Fangio or Jim Clark once drove? The latest Marvel extravaganza on a huge screen at a multiplex, or an independent cinema that's found a print of a classic 1960s film?

There are no right or wrong answers here, but where you stand on all of the above probably informs what you'll think of the beautiful Leafield House, a former vicarage hewn from golden Cotswold stone to a design by Sir George Gilbert Scott, the Gothic Revival architect who was a huge favourite of Queen Victoria, and the man behind everything from St Pancras Station to the Albert Memorial. The chance to live in a house designed by a man who is buried in Westminster Abbey doesn't come around often, and for the privilege on this occasion Strutt & Parker quote £2.35 million.

Architecture aside, what marks Leafield House out is the interiors which are a — to our eyes — simple, sensitive and absolutely right for the building. Refurbishing a house involves endless decisions and choices, much of which comes down to personal taste. That leads some country houses to look like Cotswolds dreams on the outside, but five-star hotels within; others wear their history, even their flaws, on their sleeves, and when it's done right it's intoxicating.

The rough stone marks on the windows, the battered original floors, the odd crack in a fireplace here, and the faded glory of the plaster there, even the scratches on the Aga. It's like walking into a Victorian picture book.

Leafield House was once the Victorian vicarage to the Grade II*-listed village church of St Michael and All Angels — also designed by George Gilbert Scott — and was built from Cotswold stone in 1851 as part of what at the time was a visionary Gothic development.

This beautifully proportioned Grade II-listed house, set in 1¼ acres of lawns and mature trees at the end of a long private driveway, stands next to the church at the heart of the village, with delightful views over the surrounding countryside.

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The owners have been here for decades, and they refurbished the whole place back in 1989, keeping everything as original as possible while dealing with anything that went beyond the cosmetic. That gives it a wonderful feeling of authenticity, in some rooms almost like visiting a National Trust property, but there shouldn't be any headaches: Strutt & Parker's agent, Giles Lawton Lawton describes it as ‘solid as a rock’.

And the light touch shown means that Leafield House retains its original Victorian elements — stone mullion windows with internal shutters, flagstone floors and high ceilings, to name but a few. So characterful is it that the BBC used it as one of the settings for the drama series Jonathan Creek, which made comedian Alan Davies a household name at the time.

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The house offers more than 5,300sq ft of elegant accommodation over three floors, including four grand reception rooms, a large family kitchen and adjoining scullery and substantial cellars for wine and storage, with seven bedrooms and two bathrooms laid out over the first and second floors.

The village of Leafield itself is located within the former limits of the Wychwood Forest, some four miles north-west of Witney, and, at 635ft above sea level, was the highest point in Oxfordshire until the 1974 boundary changes enlarged the county. Its location also puts it just 17 miles from Oxford city centre — and within easy driving distance of Soho Farmhouse, Estelle Manor, Diddly Squat Farm Shop and Daylesford — destinations known locally as ‘Celebrity Central’. Whether that's one for the plus column or the minus column, we'll leave to you.

Strutt & Parker quote £2.35 million for Leafield House — see more details.