The Retreat

The Retreat is a mid-18th century house, originally built by a Mr Orme and later the home of Sir Alexander Hamilton. It has been a fine house of the Adam period. The building was originally seven windows wide, but has since had additional windows inserted and is now divided into flats. The entrance front is of fine stucco and stands two stories and a basement high, with a good central single-story floor. It features a Venetian window incorporating shell ornamentation. The centre of the front is crowned by a pediment, incorporating a rosette and swag design in low relief. There is an Ionic porch with an iron balustrade, which is now glazed. The river front has been extensively altered; originally there were three Venetian windows on the middle storey. The roof is slate. The main rooms contain fireplaces in the Adam style and moulded cornices.