The Retreat

Summary

Detached house of the mid-C19. Mid-C20, late-C20 and early-C21 additions and alterations.

Reasons for Designation

The Retreat is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural interest: the balanced and characterful design of the principal façade;
* Alteration: the mid-C20 and early-C21 extensions and alterations have not adversely affected the special interest; the house is a good example of mid-C19 domestic architecture;
* Group value: it groups well with other listed buildings which, together, provide clear evidence for the historical development of Newton through to the mid-C19.

History

The Retreat was constructed sometime after 1840 since it is not shown on the Sturminster Newton Tithe Map of that date, and occupies a large plot of land. The current (1983) List entry, however, attributes the building to circa 1800. It is first depicted on the first edition Ordnance Survey map, published in 1887, as a detached, rectangular building of single-depth on plan and aligned west to east. The house was extended to the rear with a two-storey addition in the 1930s, and the interior underwent some refurbishment. In the late C20 listed building consent (lbc) was approved for a large conservatory to the rear of the 1930s addition. It was extended further with a substantial two-storey addition in the early C21 (with lbc) which wraps around the south-western corner of the building and replaced an existing single-storey rear lean-to.

Details

Detached house of the mid-C19. Mid-C20, late-C20 and early-C21 additions and alterations.

MATERIALS: constructed of coursed, squared rubble under a slate roof with brick and rendered end chimneystacks. The windows to the original house are mid-C19 horned wooden sashes with glazing bars.

PLAN: it has an accretional plan consisting of the original mid-C19 house and a number of mid- and late-C20 and C21 additions (*) to the rear which are excluded from the listing.

EXTERIOR: the house faces north onto the road. Its principal elevation is a symmetrical composition that has a central entrance with a six-panelled door under a C20 open porch. This is flanked by a sash window to either side with a continuous timber lintel. There are three matching windows at first floor. Both the ground and first floors of the left (west) return have a narrow sash window, offset from the chimney. The rear elevation of the original house is entirely masked by the mid-C20 and C21 extensions. The east gable wall has a ground-floor sash window and there are two cast-iron tie plates at attic level.

INTERIOR: the front door opens onto a small hall which has mid-C20 timber panelling to the walls, a straight flight of stairs which leads to the first floor, and doorways through to the two ground-floor principal rooms. The staircase probably dates from the mid-C20 refurbishment and has a square newel post with a moulded cap, straight wooden balusters and a plain handrail. Most of the doors in the original part of the house are four-panelled, a style that was almost universal by the mid-C19, although those leading from the entrance hall are six-panelled. The architrave is a mix of mid-C19 and late-C20 styles. The fireplace in each of the two front principal rooms has been blocked and the ceilings have timber beams which appear to have been introduced from elsewhere and re-used here. A doorway at the southern end of each room leads onto a second hallway, and through to the later additions to the rear. The sitting room in the 1930s addition has a fireplace with a four-centred stone surround with mouldings to the jambs and an inset of brick and tile. The two bedrooms in the original part of the house contain late-C19 single piece cast-iron fire surrounds and grates. The bedrooms in the later rear additions have no historic fittings. The mid-C19 roof consists of king post principals with angled struts and common rafters, some of which have been renewed.

* Pursuant to s.1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (‘the Act’) it is declared that the following are not of special architectural or historic interest:
The mid-C20 and late-C20 two-storey rear extensions;
The conservatory to the rear;
The detached garage and workshop to the south-east.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

102471

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Other
Sturminster Newton Tithe Map, 1840. Dorset Heritage Centre ref. T/SN

End of official list entry

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