The Hermitage

The Hermitage is a house dating to 1749 with an early 19th-century addition. Constructed of red brick on a sandstone plinth, it has clay tile and slate roofs, with brick end and ridge stacks. The house is L-shaped, with the original 1749 range to the north, and a rectangular extension to the southwest. It has two storeys and a 2:1:2 bay facade. The 1749 range is on the right, and the forward projecting wing with a hipped roof is in the centre. A 19th-century forward projecting extension is to the left. The windows are glazing bar sashes; the ground floor windows of the 19th-century extension have 20 panes and extend from floor to ceiling, while the first-floor window of the central wing has 16 panes. The right-hand side of the 1749 main range features a segment-headed casement, and the left has a segment-headed stair window above a door. The lintel above the door is inscribed “Wm Bott in his Old age Hath Built him an Hermitage 1749”. A moulded architrave frames a 20th-century panelled door on the right-hand side of the 19th-century extension, with an oblong overlight containing traceried glazing bars. The 1749 range has a toothed eaves course, while the 19th-century extension has a moulded eaves cornice. Inside, there’s an open well staircase opposite the front door. The 19th-century extension contains a straight stone staircase with iron balusters of square section and a wreathed wooden handrail.