A dozen dream homes: Georgian rectories

Just like a child's drawing, with a door in the middle, windows symmetrically arranged either side and above, and a pretty roofline with chimneys, the Georgian rectory is the ultimate storybook house.
These charismatic buildings have a firm grip on the British psyche. Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters were daughters of clergymen and their books painted a vivid and sometimes amusing picture of life in and around the rectory.

Yet these properties were designed with a deeply serious purpose. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the head of the local church occupied the moral centre of his community, so it was fitting that his home should be at the heart of the village. The life of an Anglican rector was also a privileged one: the day-to-day business of gentry and clergy in rural Britain were intertwined - a rector needed a home fit for a gentlemen and Georgian rectories often have rooms originally for servants.

Today, these properties make excellent family homes. Their central village locations are ideally placed for schools, shops and community life and they're large enough to accommodate a growing family. Thanks to the Georgian obsession with proportion and symmetry, the rooms are often spacious and need little alteration, which is fortunate as most are at least Grade II-listed. The gardens tend to be generous, too. In the past, village parties and fêtes were hosted by the rector at his home - it's not unusual to find Georgian rectories with large lawns and terraces, even in the most tightly packed villages.

Rectories tend not to come on the open market as often as other types of property. Their popularity has meant that, in buoyant times, word-of-mouth was often enough to secure a sale. The current slower property market means prices are more reasonable and a greater number are appearing in the windows of estate agents.

Click the links below for details of Country Living magazine's selection of the best Georgian rectories to buy, rent or holiday let.

£745,000 Newport, Shropshire
Approached through wrought-iron gates, this impressive house has a double front door that opens into a grand reception hall with polished parquet flooring and a cantilevered staircase. There are six-bedrooms, a dining room and breakfast room with views over a walled garden.

£895,000 Caythorpe, Lincolnshire
This three-floor property retains many original features and has six bedrooms, cellars, a walk-in pantry, and the grounds include a summerhouse and fruit trees.

£875,000 Ab Kettleby, Leicestershire
Built in 1759, this five-bedroom house has original sandstone floors and period fireplaces, as well as an orangery, two-storey coach house and a glasshouse.

£845,000 Barton in Fabis, Nottinghamshire
Set in two-thirds of an acre of walled grounds, this sensitively restored house has five bedrooms, five reception rooms, beamed ceilings and a large garage.

£725,000 Driffield, Yorkshire
A five-bedroom house and two attached cottages set in over five acres, with a music room, conservatory, mature gardens, stores and two paddocks.

£700,000 Ashford, Kent
The principal portion of a former rectory, this four-bedroom house is set in grounds of one acre with well-established gardens, views to the church and large cellars with natural light.

£695,000 Chalgrove, Oxon
The west wing of this rectory has been converted into a three storey house, which includes the original staircase, six bedrooms and an Aga in the large kitchen.

£430,000 Stewartstown, Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland
Built in 1811, this four-storey house has seven bedrooms, period features, a wine cellar, outbuildings and formal gardens which have been restored.

£2,000 per month, Totnes, Devon
A furnished house with seven bedrooms and elegant entrance hall, set in two-and-a-half acres looking out across the Avon valley to Dartmoor.

From £2,895 per week Whitbourne, Worcestershire
A seven-bedroom holiday home with a sweeping oak staircase, dining room seating 24 guests, garden room, Aga, barbecue and lawned gardens. Sleeps 18.

£1,585-£2,100 per week Shelton, Norfolk
Ten-bedroom property with large rooms, period features, antique furniture, open fireplaces and views over the fields and the village church. Sleeps 18.

£2,970-£3,510 per week, Bridport, Dorset
Set in one-and-a-half acres, just over a mile from the sea, this 11-bedroom house has a billiard room and library. Sleeps 26.