One of Hertfordshire’s hidden gems is the elegant, 17th-century The Old Rectory at Hertingfordbury, a small village located just over a mile from the county town of Hertford and 22 miles from central London.
For those looking to buy a beautiful country house within easy reach of the capital, it's hard to imagine anything nicer than this house, which is for sale via Knight Frank at £2.975m. It's a substantial former rectory within a glorious parkland setting, with landscaped gardens leading down to the banks of the River Mimram.
Some experts maintain that the historic parkland may have benefited from planting undertaken by Humphry Repton on the nearby Panshanger estate in the 1790s.
Certainly, the ancient beech trees beside the river have been attributed to Repton, one of Britain's greatest landscapers.
According to the Victoria County History, the house was originally built in 1638, when Edward Baynes was Rector of St Mary’s, at about the time that Thomas Keightley was building at Hertingfordbury Park.
Baynes was a cultivated man, who was evidently influenced by the fashion of of the day for gentry houses with an imposing main façade, good ceiling heights and Classical proportions.
The rectory also boasted a milkhouse, a brewhouse, a millhouse and a buttery, yet was never occupied by the rector, who continued to live in a modest house in the village and his grand new house was let to wealthy London merchants.
It offers 6,730sq ft of living space on three floors, with accommodation including four reception rooms, a kitchen/breakfast room, an orangery, a master suite, four double bedrooms and two bath/shower rooms on the first floor and a further double bedroom on the second.
The early 18th to mid 19th centuries saw the livings in the Church reach the height of their desirability, with the clergy enjoying significant status in society.
This was reflected in the style of their houses, which, in the early 18th century, saw The Old Rectory extended to the north, and the rooms at the western end of the house enlarged to provide grander reception rooms and a bedroom with an adjoining servant’s room.
In 1801, Dr James Hook was appointed chaplain to the Prince Regent, later George IV, and shortly afterwards took on the living of Hertingfordbury in addition to his role as Rector of Saddington in Leicestershire.
Known, as were many of his clerical colleagues, for being ‘more remarkable for the number of his benefices than for the work he did in any of them’, Dr Hook had The Old Rectory re-fronted in brick and the entrance moved to the east, which allowed him to see parishioners without encroaching on his personal living space.
The next major milestone in the building’s history was the sale of The Old Rectory by the Church in 1929. By then in poor repair, it was bought by Robert Addis, who set up his toothbrush factory in Hertford after the First World War.
He carried out a major renovation, installing a new oak staircase and panelling recovered from nearby Essendon Place, which, along with the polished parquet floors, are a striking feature of the house today.
Requisitioned by the Army during the Second World War, the last 60 years have seen The Old Rectory, listed Grade II, cherished by successive private owners and its four acres of grounds enhanced by a judicious planting programme which is still bearing fruit – literally and figuratively – to this day.
The Old Rectory is for sale via Knight Frank – see more details and pictures.
The 'children’s paradise' surrounded by acres of dreamy lawned gardens
Classical Culver is situated on the edge of the historic east Hertfordshire village of Much Hadham.
A home that really takes the biscuit: Inside the McVitie's mansion
This beautiful mansion in Hertfordshire was once the family home of Britain's great biscuit dynasty.
The best places to live for commuters: Hertfordshire
Here's our list of the most attractive villages in Hertfordshire which boast an easy commute into London.
A riverside house with gardens which look like they’ve escaped from a Monet
The Mill House is a Hertfordshire home with genuinely spectacular gardens, but none which is in need of some TLC
-
'These aren't just rooms. They are spaces configured with enormous cunning, artfully combining beauty with funcionality': Giles Kime on the wonders of WOW!house 2025WOW!house 2025 is here. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to explore more than 20 indoor and outdoor spaces, dreamt up by the biggest names in design, says Giles Kime.
-
'The very best North Yorkshire has to offer': The £25 million Kirkham EstateWith 1,103 acres and on the market for the first time in a century, we've got a new frontrunner for the sale of the year.
-
'The very best North Yorkshire has to offer': The £25 million Kirkham Estate
With 1,103 acres and on the market for the first time in a century, we've got a new frontrunner for the sale of the year.
-
The reality of 20 years of house price rises in Britain, from the places that have had a charmed life to the spots where it's a struggle to move back homeAt first glance the ups and downs of the property market seem to even out over time — but dig in to the numbers and you'll see wild regional variations which paint a very difference picture. Annabel Dixon analyses new research which tells the story.
-
A historic Yorkshire hall, meticulously restored to its former 18th-century magnificenceWomersley Park is a masterpiece and one of Yorkshire's great historic houses. And it could be yours.
-
Rowing past dreams: An idyllic riverside home with a boathouse, croquet pitch and Olympic pedigreeThe Manor in Long Wittenham is a perfect Thames-side getaway. Comes with a free boat.
-
A bucolic Sussex home that's 'like stepping into a fairytale', yet just 30 minutes from central LondonFelmere House is a playground for nature and only 30 minutes from London.
-
Magnificent mansions across the Home Counties, from £3 million to £14 million, as seen in Country LifeA waterside dream home and a house and estate with over 1,100 years of history make our round-up this week.
-
Vibrant colours and exquisite taste make this three-bedroom London townhouse singOn Kennington's West Square, this Grade II-listed home is a monument to the discerning eye.
-
Lawns, glorious lawns at this Grade II-listed home in Hampshire where a sustainable future meets a storied pastThere are 'old rectorys', and then there's The Old Rectory.
