Two idyllic old rectories have come to the market, as well as the Cotswold manor house named for the clergyman who helped Henry VIII get his first divorce
FOR more than 40 years, The Old rectory at Widdington in Essex, five miles from Saffron Walden and eight miles from Bishop’s Stortford, was the family home of the late Brian Lister, arguably Britain’s leading postwar designer and builder of sports racing cars, under the banner of the Lister engineering firm founded by his grandfather in 1890. Now, following the death of his widow, Josephine, the lovely Grade II-listed former rectory—which stands in more than six acres of delightful gardens and grounds alongside the church in this popular commuter village—has been placed on the market through Knight Frank in Bishop’s Stortford (01279 213343) at a guide price of £3.25 million.
On leaving Cambridge’s Perse School in 1942, Lister completed a four-year apprenticeship with the family firm, before joining the rAF as a National Serviceman, where he continued to hone his skills, both as an engineer and a jazz musician, before rejoining the family business. At the time, motorsports were enjoying a renaissance and Lister was soon bitten by the racing bug.
He helped to found the Cambridge 50 Car Club, where he forged a close friendship with the diminutive daredevil ‘Archie’ Scott Brown and, backed by his father, developed the first Lister car, which was driven by Scott Brown to a winning debut at Snetterton in 1954.
Denne historien er fra October 24, 2018-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra October 24, 2018-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
