The Old Rectory, Colney

The Old Rectory, Colney
Norwich
"Rus in Urbe"
For Sale, OIRO Ł1,000,000

Over 2 Acres - 4230sq ft - 100yds River frontage - Queen Anne Rectory

[Thomas Clayton 1715]
Thomas Clayton 1715

The Old Rectory.
Front elevation
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The house is built of brick with stepped Dutch gables plus two storey large boarded extension bathroom, bedroom and playroom/party room. We have had 100 people seated in it for royal and family occasions!) + business use. A large conservatory to the rear. The gabled porch leads through a hand built oak door to a stone flagged hall with a reception room (20' x 15') off to the right. This room has a period fireplace and leads into the wood panelled party room (25' x 17') down two steps. The hall continues round to the left past the study (11' x 11') and laundry/cloakroom into dining or family room (16' x 16') with large oak bessemer over fireplace with Jotul wood burning stove and hand built oak floor. Leading into hand built oak pokey kitchen with AGA and oak & pamment floor, plus dining/breakfast area (16' x 10'). French doors lead to the large conservatory (25' x 16') with pamment floor. An oak floored back hall with further french doors which lead to to a raised decked sitting out and dining area.
Stairs rise from the hall with a rosewood banister and lead up to a half landing with a bedroom to the left (13' x 10'), main bedroom (18' x 14') and bathroom (roll top bath) to the right with views of the river Yare and coach-house over the paddock. Short staircase to upper landing with four more bedrooms, another bathroom with separate WC and a basic kitchen. From the upper landing there are two separate staircases to three attics.
The eight windows on the south and east elevations have their original working inside shutters
Outside there are over two acres of garden and paddock (room for pony) sweeping down to a 100 yard frontage to the shallow river Yare (moat, canoeing, fishing or just sitting on the bank), Tennis court which could do with refurbishment. Walled fruit garden.
Coach house the roof of which is substantially new following the hurricane in the1980's. It can garage cars, boat, horse and so on. Upstairs there are storerooms and bunks for grooms with mangers downstairs.
The flood plain of the River Yare lies to the North of the Old Rectory, on the Bowthorpe side. The Church fathers built their rectories well away from possible acts of God! In this case high up since the paddock slopes downhill to the river frontage with its high banks.
Mains water and electricity. Drainage to septic tank. Oil central heating. Gas nearby but not connected.
We are within a short walk to the University of East Anglia, the University Sports Park and Swimming Pool, the new University Hospital, BUPA Hospital (now Spire), Oakwood House Nursing Home, The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, the Science Park, the John Innes Institute. A mile from shops, post office, petrol station and two garden centres. St Andrew's Church, parish rooms and Montesori nursery just down the road.
Three miles from the city centre. Bus service. Railway Station (Liverpool Street) in the city. Airport not far away. Close to A47, A11 and the A140

Flooding
The Old Rectory is near the river Yare which forms our Northern boundary. The river floods from time to time, especially when the snow melts. When this happens it is the water meadows up stream and to the North of our river which take the strain. The deepest flood over the last twenty years has been about 2ft some years ago. I put a peg in at the high water mark. The coach house is 6ft above water level and the Old Rectory itself anothe 9ft. It would take a flood of biblical proprtions to come anywhere near the coach house let alone the Old Rectory. The Church takes good care lest its property be affected by acts of God.

Some Random Jottings
The Old Rectory is mentioned in Pevsner.
There is a foundation stone above the front door "TC 1715". Thomas Clayton was the rector at the time. He shared the living with St Michael at Plea in the City centre and lived to a great age. His tombstone can be seen in the centre aisle of St Michaels. St Pauls Cathedral had only just been completed (1710). Christopher Wren died in 1723
Percy Lubbock in his book "Earlham" tells how when Rector William Ripley married he lived with his new wife at Earlham Hall (she was a Gurney). The Rectory was then empty, so William lent it from time to time to stray visiting and stranded missionaries from India, China and Uganda. And there is always the jest of the violet powder and the harmonium! But you will have to read the book to discover what that was about.
A pretty two storey wooden boarded extension was built in 1898.
The splendid large modern conservatory or winter garden was built onto the kitchen in 1994 and makes a great sitting, dining, entertaining space overlooking the river, barn and wildlife.
Repairs and modifications. The corrugated iron roof to the extension has been removed and replaced with a damp-proof membrane, glass fibre insulation and pantiles.
The main roof has been stripped, a damp-proof membrane and polystyrene/aluminium foil insulation fitted before replacing the pantiles. Leading renewed. Valley releaded and realigned.
Chimneys repointed and releaded. oil fired Aga, oil boiler & Jotul flues lined.
Masses of wild life both flora and fauna. Carpets of aconites, snowdrops, daffodils, primroses, bluebells, cowslips, bee orchids in their season. Fruit trees, medlar, mulberry, cedar, beech, elm, rowan, oak, birch, walnuts, horse and sweet chestnut, magnolia, holly, laburnam, almond, ash, tulip tree, apples, quince, plums. Rabbits, foxes, water voles, moles, squirrels, deer. Blackbirds, thrushes, herons, mallards, coots, moorhens, woodpeckers, jays, jackdaws, pigeons, fieldfare, longtailed tits, other tits, chaffinch, bullfinch, green finch, flycatchers, kingfisher, swans, swallows, martins, kestrel, sparrow hawk, robins, wrens, willow warblers, other SBBs and so on.
Old lead electricity cables removed and replaced by modern plastic with new fuse box and switchboard.
Burglar alarm.
We are reluctant to leave our much loved home, but the family are settled in homes of their own and we do not get any younger. It is time to down-size.
Planning permisssion was granted for an extra dwelling on the plot, but this has now lapsed. I have been told that there would be little difficulty (90% sure) in reviving it.
There is planning permission to run a business from the premises.
Gross Internal Area 4130 sq ft (393 sq m)
Grade II listing
Council tax band "G"
South Norfolk Council
South Norfolk House
Swan Lane
Long Stratton
Norfolk NR15 2XE
01508-533633 council@s-norfolk.gov.uk

How to find us
Come off the A47 at the B1108 junction (signposted "Colney University") and travel towards the City. The Old Rectory is on the left behind a long brick wall in about a quarter of a mile past Colney Hall and next to Colney Old Hall.
Coming from the City take the B1108 (The Earlham Road). This passes the University and crosses the river Yare at the bottom of a hill. The Old Rectory is at the top of the subsequent hill on the right 100 yards after Colney Church.
There is a "Takeheart" sign hanging over the wall by our gate.

Map reference - Ordnance Survey 1" map No 126 "Norwich" 179079

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How to contact us
Geoff & Shirley Clayton
The Old Rectory
Colney
Norwich
Norfolk
NR4 7TX
Telephone 01603-454314
E-Mail us
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