An Old Rectory for sale that 'encapsulates the Georgian dream'
Our property correspondent Penny Churchill comes across a lot of properties, yet she's still clearly entranced by this beautiful family home in Frampton.


If ever a house and garden encapsulated the Georgian rectory dream, it’s Grade II-listed The Old Rectory at Frampton, six miles north of Dorchester, for which Knight Frank quote a guide price of £1.25m.
Built in 1726, in the classic, square-cut Georgian style, the gracious former rectory stands next to the church in a quintessential Dorset village setting.
Unusually, it’s been little altered since it was built – apart from a discreet Victorian extension at its northern end – until a decade ago, when the present owners bought it and had the entire property restored and refurbished throughout.
Inside there is some 3,500sq ft of accommodation, including three reception rooms, five bedrooms and four bathrooms.
The vendors have been careful to retain the charm of the many original features, with tall bay windows, wooden floors and fireplaces in the reception rooms.
The drawing room – pictured at the top of this page – exemplifies many of these charms, with elegant cornicing and sash windows which can be covered by original working shutters.
The setting is idyllic. The house is set in just over an acre of formal and wild gardens on three sides, with a kitchen garden at the rear.
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Beyond the main home there is stabling and garaging in the coachhouse that comes as part of the property, and which is Grade II-listed in its own right.
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: Humberts
Five beautiful Cotswolds homes for the price of suburban semis
You're spoilt for choice if you're upping sticks and swapping city life for the Cotswolds.
A rolling Dorset estate with a picturesque 'Arts-and-Crafts' farmhouse at its heart
Blackdown House Farm at Briantspuddle was part of the once-great Bladon estate.
Credit: Savills
A perfectly-preserved home on an ancient stretch of land in one of the prettiest spots in Wiltshire
Church House is a beautiful home in rolling countryside not far from Salisbury that has come to the market in
-
Pack up your jumpers: Is Scandinavia the new Mediterranean?
Climate change means increasingly unbearable heat and dangerous wildfires across swathes of Europe — so what is the alternative? Words and photographs by Emma Lavelle.
By Emma Lavelle Published
-
How many Oscars did the 1997 film 'Titanic' win? Country Life's Quiz of the Day, August 19, 2025
Test you general knowledge with Tuesday's Quiz of the Day.
By Country Life Published
-
A 17th century farmhouse in Surrey with one of Britain's oldest squash courts
Fords Farm is on the market for the first time in over half a century.
By Penny Churchill Last updated
-
The 15 best-value commuter towns for people working in London, according to new research from one of Britain's top estate agents
Savills have released their list of the best-value commuter towns in Britain. But do the sums add up? Toby Keel takes a look.
By Toby Keel Published
-
What everyone is talking about this week: Where are the new Cotswolds?
The appearance of American Vice President J. D. Vance in the Cotswolds is a sure sign that they're saturated, but where else can you escape to that has the same charm?
By Will Hosie Published
-
19 outstanding country homes, from £450,000 to £20 million, as seen in Country Life
A spectacular country house in Yorkshire and an enormously impressive Channel Islands retreat are among the stand-out homes on the market this week.
By Toby Keel Published
-
Three homes down by the Thames, perfect for those who love messing about on boats
This summer’s scorching temperatures will no doubt have endorsed the perennial appeal of Thames-side houses with frontage and private access to the river. Penny Churchill and Toby Keel pick out some prime examples.
By Toby Keel Published
-
A pavilion, pool and pleasure gardens at this Devon country house 'with not another building in sight'
Ebberly House is a majestic country house in Devon built by one of John Soane's pupils — and as it comes to the market, it's a place Penny Churchill knows well.
By Penny Churchill Published
-
Take over the world or throw a great big party on this private fort for sale in Pembroke
Thorne Island, dubbed the British Alcatraz, has been a £2 million labour of love. Now it could be yours.
By James Fisher Published
-
The perfect summer house? A country home, beach house and rural escape rolled into one in a prime spot in Sussex
If there's a finer house than Grangewood House in which to enjoy the summer, we'd love to see it. Penny Churchill takes a look.
By Penny Churchill Published