We've Bought an Historical Old Vicarage!

[yssie]

Wow. What a story!! You were meant to have this place, clearly

Can’t WAIT to see whatever photos you’re comfy sharing!! What a treasure - this will be the rebuild of a lifetime

 

[Calliecake]

Congratulations to you and your family @Ally T. This was truly meant to be your home.

 

[DorotheaBrooke]

What a dream! Your plans sound perfect, and how wonderful that everything turned out the way it did for you and your family!

I will enjoy following along as you update this thread. I am obsessed with the show Escape to the Country and subscribe to English Home and English Garden magazines, even though I live in the American South.

 

[Ally T]

Here are some pictures I snapped whilst we were allowed access today:







Original fireplace in the dining room:



Servants stairs that run up all the way up to the attic rooms:



Grand staircase:



This coving is in every single room over each window recess:



These are the original leaded windows, which are still present in 50% of the house:



It was fabulous to be there today to show our mothers. They were both absolutely besotted!

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

It's going to be AMAZING! Ah- mazing!

 

[SparklieBug]

Oooh! I just love this, and if I'm this excited, I can't imagine how thrilled you and your family must be!!!

 

[Ally T]

This is at the very top of the servants stairs, which leads into the 7th bedroom & the attic itself, which is steeply pitched & an architectural wonder inside:

 

[Matata]

for the pics. I loooooove it. Is it grade listed?

 

[Ally T]

for the pics. I loooooove it. Is it grade listed?

You are welcome! It will be nice to come back with after pictures when it's complete.

Surprisingly it is not a Listed Building, but there are a few covenants in place, such as not removing or covering over the foundation stone & the gate stumps must remain.

To put the size of the main staircase into perspective, you can just see my mother in law making her way up at the bottom right. They are enormous!

 

[lilmosun]

Love the details and architecture not found in today's homes. It's going to be even more of a showcase one of a kind home when done. Excited to follow your journey. What kind of timeline do you have planned for renovations?

 

[Ally T]

Love the details and architecture not found in today's homes. It's going to be even more of a showcase one of a kind home when done. Excited to follow your journey. What kind of timeline do you have planned for renovations?

Thank you! It's a beautiful house, that's for sure! The Surveyor is booked for next week to finalise all the conveyancing & then we're hoping to own the title deeds & get the keys within 6 weeks. We are meeting with Architects next week so that one is firmly in place upon completion. The builder is a friend (but his company is huge, so mates rates & an early start after completion) so we are optimistically hoping to be moved in by Christmas. We have to lodge a planning application for the kitchen diner extension, the gym & garage block, which will cause the biggest delay. The builder thinks 3-5 months of work, given that supplies are currently slow here, so I think Christmas is a realistic expectation.

And it will be snowing, the Church will be full of Carol singing, the pub will have roaring fires & warming whiskey - this is my dream coming true

 

[Ally T]

Also when we were mooching around in here today, we found a huge trunk in one of the attic storage rooms that has the name of a Private from WW2 printed on. It was locked & we couldn't get in it, but there was definitely stuff inside as it was a very heavy trunk. We pushed it back into the dark recess & will investigate again once we have completed. There was also a large Bible inscribed with two brothers names & the date 1867 written in the front. There are treasures galore in this place, no longer wanted or needed by the Church!

 

[MillieLou]

Oh @Ally T I'm so thrilled for you! How exciting!!! It is gorgeous and just bursting with character.

Also when we were mooching around in here today, we found a huge trunk in one of the attic storage rooms that has the name of a Private from WW2 printed on. It was locked & we couldn't get in it, but there was definitely stuff inside as it was a very heavy trunk. We pushed it back into the dark recess & will investigate again once we have completed. There was also a large Bible inscribed with two brothers names & the date 1867 written in the front. There are treasures galore in this place, no longer wanted or needed by the Church!

Ah come on now, you've surely seen enough horror films to know that you mustn't open the trunk...

 

[Ally T]

Oh @Ally T I'm so thrilled for you! How exciting!!! It is gorgeous and just bursting with character.



Ah come on now, you've surely seen enough horror films to know that you mustn't open the trunk...

I will get in that Privates' trunk. And I will get in that safe.

 

[LightBright]

Pretty much everything I read now has a similar theme to “Under The Tuscan Sun” (eg historic home is restored to “livable” by appreciative owners) so your amazing new home and your journey to making it your own sounds fascinating and wonderful. If I might suggest (YES Americans LOVE this theme) please take notes and consider writing a BOOK so that people (who cannot nail a picture frame to the wall) can enjoy your restoration. This sounds wonderful and meant to be. Congratulations!

 

[RMOO]

I will get in that Privates' trunk. And I will get in that safe.

Just get yourself one of these handy-dandy hammers:

Hammer a safe

 

[Matata]

The builder thinks 3-5 months of work, given that supplies are currently slow here, so I think Christmas is a realistic expectation.

Ahem so, PS get together come spring at AllyT's?

 

[maryjane04]

Congratulations @Ally T on owing a piece of history! What a magnificent home and I can't wait till you restore it and make it functional for today. Makes me want to watch Downton Abbey!

 

[Neptune]

Congratulations to your own version of Escape to the Chateau.

 

[yssie]

Thank you! It's a beautiful house, that's for sure! The Surveyor is booked for next week to finalise all the conveyancing & then we're hoping to own the title deeds & get the keys within 6 weeks. We are meeting with Architects next week so that one is firmly in place upon completion. The builder is a friend (but his company is huge, so mates rates & an early start after completion) so we are optimistically hoping to be moved in by Christmas. We have to lodge a planning application for the kitchen diner extension, the gym & garage block, which will cause the biggest delay. The builder thinks 3-5 months of work, given that supplies are currently slow here, so I think Christmas is a realistic expectation.

And it will be snowing, the Church will be full of Carol singing, the pub will have roaring fires & warming whiskey - this is my dream coming true

What a dream come true. I can’t even wrap my head around it!! This description of Christmas - I’ll be dreaming about your Christmas tonight!

 

[Ally T]

Pretty much everything I read now has a similar theme to “Under The Tuscan Sun” (eg historic home is restored to “livable” by appreciative owners) so your amazing new home and your journey to making it your own sounds fascinating and wonderful. If I might suggest (YES Americans LOVE this theme) please take notes and consider writing a BOOK so that people (who cannot nail a picture frame to the wall) can enjoy your restoration. This sounds wonderful and meant to be. Congratulations!

Hi there & thank you!

We will definitely be documenting the whole process, with lots of notes & photographs. We are planning to make a big album once it's all done, just for the future of the house really, like a record, and also for us, to look back on in many years time & wonder what on earth made us take on such a big job!

 

[lissyflo]

Oooh, you’re going to be like the PS Kevin McCloud! Gawd I love that man. What an amazing project you have!

 

[SparklieBug]

...not sure I would be able to contain myself with the mysterious trunk and potential contents in the safe...

Your Christmas sounds like it will be straight out of greeting cards and movies. Gorgeous!

 

[peachster]

So excited for you. It is wonderful when a house needs a good family to love it and the right family finds it and makes it their home.

 

[kah42]

This is beautiful! I'm so excited for you!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Oooh, you’re going to be like the PS Kevin McCloud! Gawd I love that man. What an amazing project you have!

I dont know..
I watched him last night on tv and he's always a bit too pessimistic for me and the people always go over budget

Im hoping George Clarke will pop his head in to the vicerage

 

[Ally T]

I dont know..
I watched him last night on tv and he's always a bit too pessimistic for me and the people always go over budget

Im hoping George Clarke will pop his head in to the vicerage

I love George Clarke. That accent..... If he popped his head into the Vicarage he may never escape!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I love George Clarke. That accent..... If he popped his head into the Vicarage he may never escape!

I was wondering what plans you had for that 7th bedroom at the top of the stairs ...


(My smilies wont work today)

 

[Ally T]

I was wondering what plans you had for that 7th bedroom at the top of the stairs ...


(My smilies wont work today)

That's George's room

 

[MillieLou]