Friarage House, Aylesbury Old Town, HP20

Property Description

A Grade II listed town house arranged over 2197 sqft and across four floors, situated in the historic Old Town Conservation Area of Aylesbury. Located 0.2 miles to Aylesbury train station and town centre.

Property Details

Our client says about the property:
The old town stands on a small hill in theVale of Aylesbury. 27 Rickfords Hill iswithin the Central Conservation Area andis a Grade 2 Listed building on the site ofthe Franciscan priory constructed in the14thC. The stone basement walls thatformed part of the priory are still presentbehind the basement tanking. During theCivil War the superstructure wasdemolished to be used as fortificationsand similar stonework can be seen aboveground in Friarage Passage. The buildingsthat can now be seen were constructedin the early 18thC. Bay windows, in theprevailing style, were added in the 19thCat the rear and substantial internalmodifications, including turning thestaircases round, were carried out by thearchitect George Devey who constructedextensive works on the Rothschildestates. His characteristic details can beidentified in number 27.We bought the property in 1975, initiallyas an office for the architectural practice,and took great care to preserve itshistoric features. With retirement inprospect we returned the building to ahouse to take advantage of the easyaccess to the shops and railway station.We aimed to carry out the works incharacter. Except in the living room allthe fireplaces remained. That in theliving room had been replaced betweenthe wars with a mantle piece from theHead Gaoler's sitting room. The thenoccupant was the Clerk to the CountyCouncil, William Crouch. He wrote his lifestory in 1927 and we published it, withhis family's assistance in 2010. Wereplaced the wood and papier machefireplace surround with a Carrera marblesurround with a traditional overmantlemirror that followed the same details asthe old shutters and which we repeatedin the fitted cupboards and shelves.As we had young grandchildren weremoved all paintwork back to bare woodand had the doors stripped to avoid anydanger from old lead paint. Togetherwith stripping the walls this exposed thearchaeology of the house and enabled usto select colour schemes that had beenused in the past. As would have been thecase, woodwork was painted with deadflat oil paint. Modern bright white wasnever used simply because the titaniumpigments didn't exist. We replaced thedoor furniture with cast brass latches andknobs. Cast iron was used in thebasement where the servants wouldn'thave had the luxury of brass! Anothernod to the past is the manual cableoperated front door bell.The biggest task was the basement. Weremoved the lath and plaster ceilings andhad the exposed timber beams treated.Although it had served as a paper storefor many years we decided to have acomplete tanking system installed andover-clad with bleached and limed pinewith Victorian mouldings. We werefortunate enough to have a veryaccomplished carpenter living across theroad who took on the various fittings inthe house, cupboards and shelves as wellas the basement cladding and kitchencupboards. The details around cornersand openings bear tribute to his skill inmatching the profiles of the boardingwith the custom made sections heprepared. Lighting roses and switches onthe upper floors were replaced withtraditional brass and mahogany fittingsand radiators replaced with Victorianreplicas.We now hope to find an equallyinteresting house in Kendal where someof our family have settled.Malcolm and Mary NickollsJune 2022
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Council tax band D

If you'd like to talk to us about this property, quote reference 4661529 when calling.