Alice’s Seat
A beautiful open-fronted summerhouse with cob walls and thatched roof
Alice’s Seat is the perfect spot to take in the sights and scents of the garden.
The structure provides year-round shelter and is surrounded by carefully chosen planting. It offers a charming space to sit, reflect, and enjoy the garden in every season.
A glimpse into history
Alice’s Seat is a faithful recreation of an original structure, once known as Alice’s Retreat. It was built for Alice Hext (1865-1939), who owned Trebah with her husband Charles (1851-1917) between 1907 and 1939.
The structure was likely built in the early 1900s and gave the Hexts a quiet vantage point over their beloved garden. However, the seat had partly collapsed by 1947 and, by the 1990s, no trace was left except for patches of pebble paving and slumped cob.
In 2025, an album called ‘Memories of Trebah’ was shared with us. It holds a fascinating collection of holiday photographs likely taken in the 1920s or 1930s.
We were delighted to see a photo of Alice’s Retreat and believe it to be the only existing record of it.
Rebuilding the retreat
The present structure was rebuilt in 2001 using traditional methods and materials, and was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Objective 1.
When archaeologists first excavated the site they found the original post holes. Working with local craftsmen, they recreated the natural rustic style of the initial construction without any drawings or photographs to guide them at this time.
It was crafted from green oak timbers, with cob and cobbles sourced directly from the garden. It was completed in 2002, and its quality and authenticity were recognised with a prestigious Civic Trust Award in 2003.
The roof was later re-ridged in 2008 by a master thatcher, using locally-grown reed; a hybrid of rye and wheat cultivated in Cornwall.
Planting & fragrance
Highly scented plants surround Alice’s Seat, each chosen for their fragrance. Among them are osmanthus, myrtus, and the winter-flowering Sarcococca confusa, often known as ‘Christmas Box’, ensuring there are aromas to be enjoyed all year round.
Over the years, Alice’s Seat has become a peaceful, secluded vantage point, from which to enjoy the garden and its changing seasons.
