The Old Parsonage on the River Thames: Open Days

Opened last to the public in 2018, we're pleased to open the door to The Old Parsonage this December for public Open Days.

Explore the Landmark on Saturday 6 - Sunday 7 December, between 10am-4pm. Information on the building's history and restoration will be available, along with our knowlegable staff. Please note that the garden will close to visitors when it gets dark.

Well behaved dogs on leads are welcome at this event.

About The Old Parsonage

Nestled beside the historic Church of St Mary the Virgin in Iffley, The Old Parsonage is a remarkable building with origins that stretch back nearly 900 years. A parsonage, or priest’s house, has likely stood here since the church was founded in the 12th century, making this one of the few such buildings in Oxfordshire to retain significant pre-Reformation architecture.

The house conjures up images of scholarly clergymen writing sermons in its panelled rooms, with a long garden that stretches down to the River Thames. Above, biblical inscriptions from the Vulgate remind visitors of the building's spiritual roots.

While the house often served as the vicar's residence, especially in medieval times and the 19th century, it wasn’t always so. From the 1500s to the 1700s, the building was often leased to lay tenants, with the actual clergy living in Oxford and hiring curates to serve the village.

What you see today is the northern half of Iffley Rectory, restored and preserved by the Landmark Trust, open for holiday guests. The southern half remains the working Vicarage, still home to the parish vicar.

Today, The Old Parsonage stands as a living piece of Iffley’s history, a rare survivor of medieval clerical life, carefully restored for future generations to experience and enjoy.

Making a donation as part of your visit

We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to visit a Landmark for free as part of our Open Day programme, and as such we’re pleased to continue to offer free entry at all our Open Days in 2025.
The Landmark Trust is a building conservation charity that relies on donations to support its work. Over the past 60 years, public support has helped us rescue over 200 historic buildings and make them available for all to experience and enjoy. Your support by attending our events, booking a workshop, and making a donation allows us to continue to save buildings at risk and continue to maintain those already in our care. Your donation could help train the craftspeople needed to restore a future Landmark, offer opportunities for young people to experience history first-hand, or provide a charity with free Landmark stay for their service users through our 50 for Free scheme.

Donations can be made when you book your Eventbrite ticket, at the event via contactless donation points, or after your visit via our website under Support.

Getting there

The Old Parsonage is situated in Iffley village on the outskirts of the city. There is no visitor parking available at this Landmark. The road is a narrow residential lane with parking restrictions and is a single car width in places.

On foot from Oxford city centre: The Old Parsonage is around 1.5 miles (around 30 minutes walk) from the city of Oxford which can be reached along the River Thames path. At Iffley Lock, cross the river over the bridge, take the footpath onto Mill Lane and turn right. Old Parsonage is around 100 yards up the road.

By bus from Oxford city centre: Take the number 3 or 3A along Iffley Road. Alight at Iffley Turn. From here the walk is around 7 minutes to The Old Parsonage.

For public car parks, see Oxford City Council information: Suburban Car Parks outside the City Centre – Oxford City Council

Address: The Old Parsonage, Mill Lane, Iffley, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX4 4EJ

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Accessibility

We do all we can to enable access wherever possible and welcome feedback to make our public events more accessible. For further information or if you have any access concerns that you’d like to discuss before visiting, please contact our Booking Enquiries team on 01628 825925 or booking@landmarktrust.org.uk. The Booking Office is open Mon to Fri - 9am to 5pm.

At The Old Parsonage, visitors with limited mobility can be set down by car outside the property. Cars then must move on swiftly to avoid congestion on the road.

Inside the building, there are two floors with steep stairs. There is no lift in the building.The garden is long with a grassy lawn that slopes down to the river at the end. The riverbank is secured by a metal fence.