The Anchorite's Cell (or Hermitage) is a small building overlooking The Groves, Chester, Cheshire, England (grid reference SJ409660). It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.[1]
| Anchorite's Cell The Hermitage | |
|---|---|
 The Anchorite's Cell, photographed in 2011 | |
  Location of the Anchorite's Cell in Chester | |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Religious retreat (original); house (since the 19th century) |
| Address | The Groves CH1 1SD |
| Town or city | Chester |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 53°11′18″N 2°53′07″W / 53.1884°N 2.8852°W |
| Completed | 1363[1] |
| Renovated |
|
| Technical details | |
| Material | Sandstone and slate |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | The Hermitage |
| Designated | 28 July 1955 |
| Reference no. | 1375947[1] |
History
editThe structure was built in 1363 as a religious retreat for a monk or a hermit. It belonged to the nearby St John the Baptist's Church until the Reformation. During the 19th century the building was restored and converted into a house. In 1897 the porch of St Martin's Church, which was being demolished, was moved here and made into a north entrance. The building was refurbished in about 1970 as a cottage.[2]
Architecture
editStanding on a sandstone outcrop that forms a plinth, the building is constructed in coursed sandstone, and has a grey slate roof. It is in two storeys with the entrance on the north side. The porch has a segmental arch flanked by colonettes with trefoils in the spandrels, and a triple lancet window on the right side. To the right of the porch is a two-light mullioned casement window, and a projecting stone chimney. In the upper storey, above the porch, is a panel containing a triple lancet window. To the right of this is another lancet window and the voussoirs of a blocked arch. In the east end of the building is a segmental-arched window in the ground floor, a three-light mullioned window with intersecting tracery in the upper floor, and a coped gable. At the west end is a high-level segmental-arched window in the ground floor, a buttress at the southwest corner, and a coped gable with a gabled finial. There are more lancet windows in the south side.[1]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b c d Historic England, "The Hermitage, Chester (1375947)", National Heritage List for England, archived from the original on 31 May 2023, retrieved 2 July 2013
- ^ Langtree, Stephen; Comyns, Alan, eds. (2001), 2000 Years of Building: Chester's Architectural Legacy, Chester: Chester Civic Trust, p. 80, ISBN 0-9540152-0-7