Rectory Farm Crown Road and RC Church

  • 1987. Rectory Farm
  • 2000. Entrance to Roman Catholic Church and Rectory House
  • C B Yates Chartered Accountants at Rectory House in 1988
Archive Notes:

Photo of Rectory House in 1987, and of the entrance to the RC Church and Rectory House in 2000.

It is believed this house was re-built on the site of a former farmhouse by the Symes family in c. 1630. This is one of many conclusions from the dissertation by Martin Whitworth in 2010, detailed below and with a separate file of its conclusions.

Rectory House was originally Rectory Farm which was the base for one of the larger farms in Wheatley, and was 245 acres in 1910, when it was owned by Joseph Stowe of Headington as part of his large portfolio of farms. He died in October 1923 but, presumably as the farm market was then almost non-existent, the executors could not find a buyer so it was bequesthed to Magdalen College in 1926. From about 1942, Edmund Greaves lived here and, as tenant, ran the farm from about 1942. His borther, Leslie, had a tenancy on the fields. This farmhouse was relocated to Castle Hill in 1962 (the Greaves family, having since bought the farm from Magdalen College, still run the farm today - 2023), and the old farmhouse became a private house. It was re-named Rectory House.

Listing details state 'Farmhouse, now offices and flat. Late C16/early C17. Coursed squared limestone rubble; old plain-tile roof and brick stacks. T-plan. 2 storeys plus attics. Entrance front has stair tower to left of centre, extended by a slightly later 2-storey bay. Entrance to right of tower. Bay to right has C19 window at ground floor but 3-light stone-mullioned windows at first floor and in large gable. 2-light windows in stair tower and bay to left (blocked) all with ovolo mullions and labels. 2 large stacks, with 2 and 4 diagonal shafts rise from left gable and above door. End and subsidiary gables have parapets with moulded copings and prominent fluted-scroll kneelers. Rear wall has been entirely rebuilt with brick
dressings to all openings, probably in late C18 or early C19. Interior: Fine open-well stair to attics with pierced flat balusters. Wide roll-moulded
handrail and elaborate 2-tier lantern finials; winder stair rises beside top flight to roof space. First-floor landing has elaborate wooden double archway to stair having 3-centre arches with recessed spandrels, carved stops to mouldings and a dentil cornice; 4 doorways with 3- and 4-centre arches with foliage spandrels, some with heavy doors of 9 moulded panels and studded framing; remains of deep plaster frieze around landing with arabesque panels. 2 Tudor-arched stone fireplaces with recessed spandrels. Roof has cambered collar
trusses and butt purlins'.
(V.C.H.: Oxfordshire, Vol.V, p.19; Buildings of England: Oxfordshire, p.838).

The father of Matthew Yates bought Rectory House in the 1980s, and it appears that C B Yates & co, Chartered Accountants, operated from here in 1988 according to the photograph from the 1988 Centenary booklet.

Ownership history of Rectory Farm from archive and Magdalen College records. Whalley-Smythe Gardiner sales of 1846 are referred to, see record number 2287. Second pdf shows tenancies added, where known.

Joseph Stowe owned the farm from 1902. He died in 1923 and in 1926, presumably from his Will, the farm was bequeathed to Magdalen College. Stowe had owned a large number of farms in Oxford and Oxfordshire. Andrew Bell was farming this from 1920 to 1939, before the farm tenancy from Magdalen College was taken over by the Greaves family.

See also record 1017.

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