Not so quiet on the western front

A trio of houses in Wiltshire, Somerset and Devon set the market going this spring in the West Country

- Arabella Youens

DR CHRISTOPHER WREN was rector of the Wiltshire village of East Knoyle for 20 years and it was during that time that his son, the future astronomer, geometrician, physicist, mathematician and architect, was born on October 20, 1632. Local lore suggests Wren’s birthplace was knocked down during a project to widen the road— a plaque stands in the village today—but the current Old Rectory is equally charming. The Grade II-listed property, just launched on the market by Strutt & Parker, dates back in part to the Tudor period (there is a Tudor arched doorway with transom light); an extension was added in the 1930s by Canon Cross when he moved out of the original rectory.

The size and the level of craftsmanship detailed within suggests The Old Rectory was always intended to be a house of importance. Sold out of Church ownership in 1976, when a parish reorganisation merged those of nearby Hindon, Chicklade and Pertwood, it was bought at that time by the current owners. They have created what Annabel Blackett of Strutt & Parker’s country department describes as the perfect family home. ‘It’s well suited for modern family life: the internal layout has ample space for entertaining, with a generous dining and drawing room, a quiet library and five good-sized bedrooms.’ A large eat-in kitchen, with units designed by Smallbone of Devizes, sits in the centre.