The Retreat

The Retreat is a house dating from the early 19th century, likely built upon the foundations of an earlier house. The ground floor is colourwashed plaster on stone, with studwork above, and covered by a slate mansard roof with gables at the ends. There are end and axial stacks. The house follows a single-depth plan with two rooms across the front, one on each side of a cross passage containing the staircase. A series of lean-tos and projections extend to the rear. A large lean-to was added as a kitchen in the 1870s (the stack has been removed) and is now used for storage. The arrangement of the stacks and information held by the owner suggests origins back to the 17th century, although later alterations have obscured or removed some earlier details. The house is two storeys and has an attic. The front façade is nearly symmetrical, with a 20th-century glazed porch in the centre and two-storey canted bays to the left and right. The left bay is slightly smaller than the right, with fewer panes in the sash windows. The interior includes noteworthy features like joinery, local marble fireplaces, decorated plaster friezes, and a stick baluster staircase featuring turned newels, a ramped handrail and a curved balustrade. One complete 18th-century fireplace with fire basket remains on the first floor. The house was formerly known as Taverners.