The Bishop's House
THE BISHOP'S HOUSE, RECTORY LANE
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II*
- List Entry Number:
- 1262191
- Date first listed:
- 18-Oct-1949
- List Entry Name:
- The Bishop's House
- Statutory Address:
- THE BISHOP'S HOUSE, RECTORY LANE
Location
Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.
Use of this mapping is subject to terms and conditions .
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale.
What is the National Heritage List for England?
The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.
The list includes:
 |
Buildings |
 |
Scheduled monuments |
 |
Parks and gardens |
 |
Battlefields |
 |
Shipwrecks |
Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2003-03-03
- Reference:
- IOE01/09969/21
- Rights:
- © Mr Chris Tresise. Source: Historic England Archive
Local Heritage Hub
Unlock and explore hidden histories, aerial photography, and listed buildings and places for every county, district, city and major town across England.
Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II*
- List Entry Number:
- 1262191
- Date first listed:
- 18-Oct-1949
- Date of most recent amendment:
- 27-Jul-1988
- List Entry Name:
- The Bishop's House
- Statutory Address 1:
- THE BISHOP'S HOUSE, RECTORY LANE
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- THE BISHOP'S HOUSE, RECTORY LANE
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Oxfordshire
- District:
- West Oxfordshire (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Woodstock
- National Grid Reference:
- SP 44310 16707
Details
WOODSTOCK RECTORY LANE SP4416NW (South side) 9/237 The Bishop's House 18/10/49 (Formerly listed as Rectory) GV II* Rectory, now house. 1683-1686 for John Fell, Bishop of Oxford; Baroque-style additions c.1710 for Edward Strong. Coursed limestone rubble and squared and coursed limestone; gabled stone slate roof; end and lateral stacks of stone ashlar finished in brick. Cruciform plan, with angles to front infilled in early C18. Front has late C17 three-storey gable end flanked by early C18 two-storey blocks. Early C18 bracketed stone flat hood, with guttae to brackets, over C18 double-leaf doors set in moulded stone architrave. Door flanked by narrow C20 windows set in C17 chamfered stone architraves; C20 window with similar architrave and late C18 six-pane sash above door. Early C18 blocks, with corner piers rising above parapet, have late C19 canted bay window to left and keyed segmental arches over C19 six-pane sashes, and over late C19 plate-glass sash to right. Left side of block to left has massive bracketed open pediment set above early C18 six-pane sash with thick glazing bars, set in Baroque-style keyed architrave with guttae carved under brackets. Rest of house has late C17 chamfered stone architraves and late C18 six-pane sashes. Interior: noted as having bolection-moulded fireplaces and mid C18 panelled rooms. Built for the use of the Rector of Bladon. Edward Strong was owner of the Taynton quarries and therefore deeply involved in the building of Blenheim Palace: this was one of the houses which Sarah Churchill alleged had been built from stone paid for by the Blenheim account, and this would account for the additions to the house. (information from VCH; Buildings of England: Oxfordshire: p858)
Listing NGR: SP4431016707
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 435585
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Sources
Books and journals
Salzman, L F, The Victoria History of the County of Oxford, (1939)
Pevsner, N, Sherwood, J, The Buildings of England: Oxfordshire, (1974), 858
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 19-Jun-2026 at 22:09:00.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.