Listed Living: The Story of Life in a Grade II Listed Georgian Rectory

by Becky (@ListedLiving) for House of Henley

When my husband said to me three years ago “What is wrong with that house?” I had no answer. We’d looked at it and ruled it out; but now I couldn’t recall why and, all of a sudden, it seemed ridiculous we hadn’t seriously considered it before. Within a couple of days, we’d viewed it, made an offer, and it was ours! Sure, it was a little bit further into the country than I had planned for a city girl at heart. Now I’m a Barbour-wearing country girl with a muddy car to boot. All that’s missing is the Black Labrador for our shoots and we’re done!

The Family Home. Photo Credit: Listed Living

Not only was it country living for us (getting to grips with the Aga was a baptism of fire) but it was period living, in a listed building, with children. We moved from a Listed Barn conversion so it wasn't an entirely new concept. But walking into this imposing, rather grand house on the day we got the keys felt terrifying and surreal. And what an imposing home. It’s a 7 bedroom, Grade II Listed Georgian Rectory in Yorkshire. Located in a village but with 36 acres of south facing medieval ridge and furrow paddocks. It feels like a country estate, but we can still walk down the street and see people – a real bonus in a lonely pandemic!

Built for the parish rector in 1836 at the end of the Georgian period, it fully subscribes to the overarching principles of Georgian architecture. Perfect symmetry, ornate cornicing and columns, six over six sash windows and creamy sandstone ashlar masonry. I felt huge pressure to do this gorgeous house justice. Being fans of fairly neutral decor with only splashes of colour, it was clear the yellow walls and white plastic plug sockets would need to go - and fast. The sad tarmac driveway and grey rockeries were also high on the hit list. So while it’s been a slow burn, it has been consistent. We’re used to being ‘trades full’ here. Usually the decorators here for a couple of weeks, with the builders outside interspersed with the electricians. The record was 17 trades in one day in 2019 - not fun. With small children it’s been a challenge some days. Not just the endless cups of tea but the mess, disruption and generally feeling that your home is not your own. I don’t want to complain, they’ve all been lovely and we’ve tried to do a lot of it ourselves too. But I am looking forward to making fewer cups of tea!

Although our home is a renovation project, it’s not a wreck. We moved into a fully liveable home. But we had ideas! We both felt we had to leave our mark on it, leave it better than we found it. We wanted a family home with period style. But fit for a young family - wipable modern emulsion on the walls - I’m looking at you. So what style to go for? NeoClassical? Full Georgian/Regency and throw some Victorian in too? We’ve stuck to the same woodwork colour throughout. We opted for a few period pieces in rooms we can control access to like our study and formal dining room. Heavy-duty pieces that will be with us forever. Although I love antiques, I’m drawn to the more modern classic style (Neptune, OKA) which is better suited to family living. I don’t want it to feel too formal.

Original features with modern style. Photo Credit: Listed Living

Luckily many original features survive in excellent condition. Most of the house has original sash windows and single glass panes surviving from 1836. The panelling and wooden shutters have survived too. We’ve had fun trying to prise through layers of paint to open painted-shut windows (why just why?!). Nearly lost a finger or two, but it was mostly successful. My children’s bedrooms had sash windows and panelling so I decided against the clean lines Scandi route. It would be a more traditional set up with ivory Silver Cross furniture and Ralph Lauren vintage wallpaper.

It hasn’t been all interiors though, I decided to uncover some history. Rather nicely we have our own well, which used to supply the village. One day a neighbour casually mentioned prisoners in our cellar! Italian and German prisoners worked on the village in World War Two. The Italians had surrendered and were more like honoured guests, leading ski lessons on the hill with old floorboards. Some married local girls at the end of the war. But for several years each evening they were sequestered and locked into our cellar. The Rectory being considered the most secure home at the time. Fascinating!

We have a fantastic garden with reminders of the history of the house everywhere. The star is undoubtedly the 300-year-old Copper Beech tree. It is enormous. It sits atop our sandstone ha-ha and predates the Rectory by some years. My children particularly enjoy the lazy Rector’s steps over the wall to the church next door. I love the original horse and hound ironwork tethers in our old stable courtyard. Note to self, must get a pony to make use of them. The stables date from the 1700s and currently house our gym and entrance to our cellar. The cellar is astonishing. Curved arched brickwork tunnels lead to the Georgian pantry shelves and the meat hanging room. The 35 hooks embedded in the ceiling really are horror film worthy. My husband has spent more time than he would like down there recently ripping out boilers, pressing on with his all consuming need to make the house more efficient!

I haven’t yet decided whether the fact that he likes to do a lot of the work himself is a help or a hindrance. Often we cannot agree on a design scheme (you never truly know your spouse until you’ve wailed at each about interior design choices). We have different ideas and goals I suppose. But we’re taking our time, and getting there. I know this is the draw of the period home renovation. The reason we buy these houses, we don’t want perfectly proportioned new builds, somewhat devoid of soul. We want rough round the edges with character. There appear to be no straight floors or doorframes in the west wing of our house. But that’s ok. All adds to the fun, especially tipsy guests tripping down the landing yelling at me “Am I on a slide?” It’s not quite that bad, but you get the gist.

We do feel pressure to get this project right. Not just because it’s our home but because it’s a beautiful old building dripping in history. And we’re fiddling around with it. People expect to be wowed, I suppose. And usually they seem to be. A work in progress is our best description I think. Not long ago I ran into an acquaintance who knew the previous owners. She asked me why had we chosen this particular house? Surprised, I didn’t know how to answer her at first. Eventually I replied, “Well, how could we not? Look at it. It’s amazing!” It really is.

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