The Old Rectory, which has an adjoining cottage and almost 10 acres of land, has come up for sale in Ashwicken near King’s Lynn for £990,000.
Only three families have ever lived in The Old Rectory at Church Lane, Ashwicken, since it was built by wealthy bachelor, Rev. John Freeman, in 1842.
Originally created as a self-sufficient estate, with a large house with live-in servants’ quarters, cottage, stabling and a deep well, it’s now on the market with Cruso & Wilkin for £990,000.
The vendor Mrs Carter says that her parents, Philip and Anne Leake, bought the home in 1939, after a new modern rectory was built on the main road through the village.
“Many of the features of the house remain unchanged from when it was built,” she explains, “including a set of bells in the kitchen and a bread oven and hand pump for the well in the scullery. It also has a bell-pull for a bell atop the house which used to summon people in to meals.”
Today, the property is certainly habitable, although it could do with some updating to help it realise its full potential.
Highlights include a large entrance hall with wide stairs to the first floor and dual aspect dining room. There is also a drawing room and a kitchen with an oil-fired Rayburn.
Upstairs, there are six main bedrooms, as well as a bathroom, and access to what used to be the original servants’ quarters.
The Old Rectory also comes with a number of distinctive outbuildings, including a self-contained two-bedroom cottage with living room and kitchen, as well as a garage – the former coach house – and stables.
The property also contains a former brewhouse, built undernground. “The door of the brewhouse was bricked up when I first knew it,” says Mrs Carter. “But when my father knocked a hole in it, we scrambled in and found remains of old hooped cider barrels in the alcoves themselves.”
In total, the grounds at The Old Rectory extend to approximately 9.45 acres. There are areas of wooded copse, lawned gardens and a south-facing walled garden stocked with fruit trees, vegetable beds and flower borders. The property also features a number of mature trees, including a Giant Redwood.
For more information, please contact Cruso & Wilkin on 01553 691691.
PROPERTY FACTS
The Old Rectory, Ashwicken
Price: £990,000
Cruso & Wilkin, 01553 691691, www.crusowilkin.com
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