The Hermitage

The Hermitage is a grade I listed root house dating from the late 18th century. It features red brick walls lined with randomly coursed blocks of tufa and has an octagonal plan with a single storey. The roof is slate with lead dressings, supported by five tree trunk pillars. The entrance consists of two tree pillars that create a pointed archway.

Inside, the walls are lined with smaller branches arranged in a patterned lattice decoration in the Chinese taste, with gaps filled with tree bark. The ceiling is similarly adorned with spokes of rustic poles radiating from the center, where a boss is formed from a large tree bole. The interior includes a rustic table, four monoxylous chairs, and one rustic chair made from a tree bole and branches.