The Old Rectory, Purleigh (EHER 47541)

A rectory designed by Frederick Chancellor for the Reverend Dr Edwin Hatch and built in 1885. It is constructed of red brick with tiled roofs, and is on a rectangular plan. The building has been listed for its considerable aesthetic merit in design, and for the fact that internally, the building has seen only minor alteration. The main façade faces South, from which a path and gate lead to the adjacent Church of All Saints (EHER 38544). It replaces an earlier 17th century rectory at the site, known to have been in this location since at least 1610.

February 2010. Grade II listed. The Old Rectory, Purleigh, was designed by Frederick Chancellor for the Reverend Dr Edwin Hatch and built in 1885. It is constructed of red brick, laid in English bond, with tiled roofs, and is on a rectangular plan. The first edition OS map of 1873 shows the former rectory on the site, associated with the extant walled garden and stable building, the latter now in use as a garage. In 1883, a replacement rectory was designed by Frederick Chancellor for the Rev. Dr. Edwin Hatch (1835-1889) who took the living at Purleigh during that year. The Old Rectory was finished in around 1885 and has been very little altered since. An article in The Building News of 1887 names Messrs Saunders and Son of Dedham as the builders and gives the cost as £2,200. The rectory has two storeys and an attic. The façade is decorated with exposed red brick laid in English bond on the ground floor, and tile, hung in alternate plain, fish-scale and geometric styles on the first floor with a corbelled, moulded brick string course accentuating the change in elevational treatment. The gable roof has a plain tile covering and there are five truncated chimney stacks. The building has been listed for its considerable aesthetic merit in design, elevational treatment and quality of craftsmanship. The façade faces south, from which a path and gate lead to the adjacent Church of All Saints (EHER 38544). An off-centre porch with pent roof houses a Tudor-arch door with decorative strap hinges. At first floor, the gable to the left of the door projects forward and has decorative timber work in the apex. On the rear elevation, the polite range to the right has an off-centre main door with stained glass, including a central coat of arms. Further to the east is the service range. A single storey outbuilding adjoins the east elevation beneath a pent roof. The outbuilding originally contained the scullery, knives room and an earth closet with the service entrance to the left. Internally, there have been only minor alterations as all rooms with the exception of a bedroom on the first floor retain fireplaces and deep cornices. A carved wood and stone fire surround remains in the hall, with the date 1885 on a central stone plaque with foliate motif. On the ground floor, the 'parish room' at the front of the house remains. <1> The current house was built in 1886 replacing a building which appears, from an old photograph to be of 17th century date. The site has obviously been taken out of one of the glebe fields, and it seems likely that it was developed during the 16th century to replace the priest's house at The Bell (EHER 38563) when the living came into secular hands after the dissolution of Horton Priory, which had previously owned it. The rectory was definitely on this site in 1610. <2>