Listed Building record MDO9212 - The Old Vicarage, including garden walls adjoining Islington House, Puddletown

Semi detached house, formerly east wing of Vicarage. c1600 origin, altered and enlarged, probably in C18 and early C19. Originally timber framed, clad in brick in C18, and walls raised in C19. Now, brick walls on rubble stone base. Tiled roof

The Old Vicarage (name confirmed from owner), remains as described above. See ground photograph. <4>

<1> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 2, 227-8 (Monograph). SDO136.

‘(4) THE VICARAGE (75939435), 50 yds. E. of the church, is of three and two storeys, with attics and cellars. The walls are of brick, casing timber-framing in the oldest portion; the roofs are partly slated and partly tiled, with stone-slate verges. The S. part of the E. range dates probably from the early 17th century; the vestibule and the two main rooms of the W. wing were added c. 1722 (Hutchins II, 625), and the stair-hall was built shortly afterwards. Later in the 18th century the timber-framed original range was cased in brick and it was heightened to three storeys early in the 19th century. The N. part of the E. range has been extensively remodelled and is now largely of the 19th century. There are modern single-storey additions beside the stair-hall.
The W. wing, with its contemporary staircase and panelling, is an unspoilt example of an 18th-century domestic building of medium size (Plate 191).
The S. front has the projecting gabled end of the encased early block on the E.; the rest, comprising the front of the W. wing, is built of bricks in slightly varying shades with dressings in a uniform red; it has a chamfered plinth, a moulded string-course at first-floor level and a coved plaster cornice. The bay adjoining the E. range projects 4 ins. and contains the entrance, with a porch which was added probably in the second quarter of the 18th century; the porch has a wooden cornice and a round-headed outer doorway with fanlight, fluted side-pilasters, moulded archivolt and key-block; the glazed inner door is of the 19th century. The sashed window on the first floor has a segmental gauged brick head with a key-block and a shaped apron. The other four sashed windows on each floor are grouped two and two; they have flat gauged brick heads with key-blocks, and shaped aprons. The two dormers have two-light casement windows; that to the E. is placed centrally over the projecting bay and has a rusticated surround, the other has a moulded architrave. The large W. chimney-stack is original; it has a moulded string, partly of stone, and a moulded capping; the centre of each face is recessed. The W. end of the W. wing has plinth, string and cornice carried round from the S. front and on each floor are two round-headed recesses with brick arches, stone key-blocks, imposts and sills, and shaped brick aprons. The hipped dormer window is similar to the W. dormer on the S. front. The lower part of the N. side of the W. wing is concealed by modern additions; the stair bay has a stone plinth and a moulded wood cornice and contains a window with a segmental arched head with a keystone; above is a dormer window similar to the W. dormer on the S. front. The E. front of the E. range has a stone plinth and an 18th-century three-light casement window near the S. end; the N. end is much patched. In the gabled N. end of the heightened 17th-century portion of the range, part of the angle-post and tie-beam of the original timber-framing is visible above the lower building adjoining it on the N.
Inside, the S. room of the E. range has a 17th-century timber ceiling divided into sixteen panels by moulded beams and wall-plates; the walls are lined with moulded and fielded panels, with a moulded dado-rail, of c. 1725; the moulded stone fireplace surround is of the same date. The drawing-room in the W. wing has a moulded and enriched dado-rail and a fireplace surround with a carved frieze, both of the late 18th century; the windows have original shutters with ovolo-moulded and fielded panels, and bolection-moulded architraves with moulded pedestalbases. The dining-room, W. of the drawing-room, has a dado with fielded panels, doorways with moulded architraves and panelled reveals and soffits, and window surrounds similar to those of the drawing-room; all these are of the early 18th century. The early 19th-century fireplace surround is of marble with brackets carrying the shelf. The staircase, of c. 1725, has cut strings with plain brackets, turned balusters with small square blocks, and a moulded handrail mitred over the intermediate newels and finishing in a volute at the bottom; the wall has a panelled dado with pilasters opposite the newels. The first floor of the W. wing contains some contemporary panelling and two contemporary fireplace surrounds.’

<2> Newman, J, and Pevsner, N, 1972, The Buildings of England: Dorset, 351 (Monograph). SWX1290.

<3> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey 25-inch map, 1974 (Map). SDO10373.

(SY 75939436) Vicarage (NAT)

<4> Barton, J G, Various, Field Investigators Comments JGB, F1 JGB 27-NOV-80 (Unpublished document). SDO11900.

<5> National Record of the Historic Environment, 454928 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Sep 27 2023 7:16AM