Irregular stone, old doors, timber, intimate rooms and courtyards — restored without sanding away the character that makes the houses themselves worth travelling for.
The Knight’s Retreat was never intended to become a themed hotel. The pleasure is in moving through a real old house: the thickness of the walls, changing levels, carved stone, old openings and unexpected views.
The spiral stair, stonework and surviving architectural elements give the property its identity. These details will remain central to the visual language of the retreat — on the website, stationery and exterior sign.
Some of the stone slabs used for floors and window sills contain striking fern-like fossil forms. They are among the small details of Knight’s Retreat that reveal themselves slowly.