Description

DIPTFORD SX75NW The Old Rectory 4/240 6.11.86

GV II

Rectory, now a private house. Probably 1830-40 extended later in the C19. Probably stone rubble stuccoed and lined out. Slate hipped roof, the deep eaves with plastered soffit. Rendered axial stacks. Plan: Rectangular double depth plan with 2 principal rooms and kitchen on the south garden front; the drawing room to the left dining room at the centre and the kitchen to the right behind blind windows for the sake of symmetry. Behind the kitchen there are other service rooms which project a little of the rear and the back stairs. The main stair hall, entered from the back, is at the centre behind the dining room and a smaller study is situated behind the drawing room to the left. the porch and entrance lobby on the back (or north entrance front) may be a mid C19 addition and the former dairy (now a dining room) to the rear (north) right is certainly a later C19 addition. Also later C19 is some minor interior alterations including the redecoration of the dining room. Exterior: 2 storeys. The south garden front is symmetrical, 2:2:2 bays with 2-light transomed casements with glazing bars the first floor may be later C19 replacements and the ground floor are French windows, all with granite cills and thresholds, the right hand 2 ground floor windows were originally dummies concealing the kitchen behind but now have facsimile French windows. Across the ground floor there was originally a verandah which returned around the left hand 3-bay west front which has the same fenestration but the right hand first floor is blind. To the left the entrance porch has a lean-to roof against the north elevation supported on slim granite columns; the doorway to the entrance lobby set back has panelled double doors and a roll moulded architrave with blocks at the corners; on the north side of the lobby there is a large tripartite fixed- light window with lattice and margin pane and similar roll moulded architrave. Above the single storey lobby is the stair window, a sash with lattice panes; to the left of the stair window the late C19 2-storey extension projects under a lean-to roof which is a continuation of the main hipped roof. The east elevation is the service side with a note quite symmetrical arrangements of C19 2-light transomed casements with glazing bars, the first floor left blank the ground floor left blocked and doorway to right of centre with a rectangular overlight with glazing bars and a flush panel door now partly glazed. Interior: the drawing room has an egg-and-dart cornice, border around the ceiling with palmettes and ceiling centrepiece with large acanthus leaves, all with original colour and gilding. The window pelmets with acanthus decoration are also gilded. The marble chimneypiece has a fine cast iron grate on casteros with brass acanthus leaves and lions paws to the consoled ends. The dining room (now sitting room) has a later C19 moulded cornice with a trailing vine ceiling border and ceiling rose with acanthus leaves. The black marble chimneypiece is also late C19; the north end of the room has a large elliptically arched alcove. The study is plain and the fireplace is blocked. the entrance lobby has C19 glazed double doors to the stair hall which has a domed centrepiece containing a ligit rose with large acanthus leaves; there is no ceiling cornice. the open-well stairs have turned wooden balusters which probably replace plain stick balusters but the moulded mahogany handrail is original and is wreathed over the curtail; the tread ends are scrolled. the staircase leads to a spacious landing on the first

Listing NGR: SX7270356765

External Links

• Wikidata Q26506576

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Recommended Books

• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback