The Old Rectory is a grade II* listed Victorian moated Rectory, located on the banks of the River Menalhyl in

St Columb Major St Columb Major is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Often referred to locally as ''St Columb'', it is approximately southwest of Wadebridge and east of Newquay Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 200 ''Newquay ...

, in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

, England. It is a major work by the architect William White. The house is currently under renovation by a private owner to be used as a house. Commissioned by Dr Samuel Walker, Rector of St Columb, following the speculation that the proposed Cornish

bishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

would be based at St Columb. It was built in 1851, on the site of a 14th-century moated medieval house. It is an asymmetrical plan rectory in a Gothic revival style. Over the years it has undergone a range of alterations. After undergoing several uses in the past it is currently privately owned and unoccupied. In 2011 it was listed by

The Victorian Society The Victorian Society is a UK amenity society and membership organisation that campaigns to preserve and promote interest in Victorian and Edwardian architecture and heritage built between 1837 and 1914 in England and Wales. It is a registered ...

as one Britain's most endangered buildings. After years of inaction by Cornwall Council the Victorian Society launched a petition in 2015 to save the building. Photos in 2015 show the shocking state of neglect and water damage to the building.

References

Reading list

*Beacham, Peter & Pevsner, Nikolaus (2014) ''Cornwall''. (The Buildings of England.) New Haven: Yale University Press; pp. 523-24 * Hals, William, (1740) ''The Compleat History of Cornwall'' * Henderson, Charles (1930) ''St Columb Major, Church and Parish''; p. 9 *King, Cathcart & James, David (1983) ''Castellarium Anglicanum: an Index and Bibliography of the Castles in England, Wales and the Islands''. London: Kraus International Publications; Volume I, p. 9 *Polsue, Joseph (1867) ''A Complete Parochial History of the County of Cornwall'' Truro: William Lake; London:

John Camden Hotten John Camden Hotten (12 September 1832, Clerkenwell – 14 June 1873, Hampstead) was an English bibliophile and publisher. He is best known for his clandestine publishing of numerous erotic and pornographic titles. Life Hotten was born John Wi ...

, 1867–72, Vol. 1, p. 227 *Salter, Mike (1999) ''The Castles of Devon and Cornwall''. Malvern: Folly Publications; p. 35

External links

Flash Earth - Rectory location map

Pastscapes

Cornwall Council
Planning history
Francis Frith Photograph
{{DEFAULTSORT:Old Rectory, St Columb Major Gothic Revival architecture in Cornwall Clergy houses in England Houses completed in 1851 Victorian architecture in England Grade II listed houses 1851 establishments in England Grade II* listed buildings in Cornwall National Heritage List for England Buildings and structures in Cornwall St Columb Major