Jeanette Winterson’s Stunning Writer’s Retreat For Sale

If you’re looking for the perfect writer’s retreat, we may have found it, although it will set you back a whopping £1.6 million! The Modern House is currently featuring the sale of ‘The Gasworks”, originally renovated by Oranges are not the Only Fruit author Jeanette Winterson.

The Cotswolds house in the quintessentially English village of Upper Slaughter has an interesting story dating back to the 19th century. As the name suggests there was originally a gasworks on the property and the cottage was known as gasworks cottage. Once its job of providing carbide has to light the nearby Brassey Estate was over, it fell into seriously disrepair.

Fast forward a long time to the early 1990s and all that is left are a few walls and some foundations. It was then that the cottage and land was purchased by Jeanette Winterson, author of Oranges are not the Only Fruit (US – UK), with the intention of renovating the house and turning it into a writer’s retreat.

In 2009 the author wrote ‘The Joy of Wrecks” laying out her plans for the house after paying £450,000 for the dilapidated cottages, and her intentions for turning it into a writer’s retreat. In 2010 it was announced that Chris Dyson architects would be taking on the project, turning it into a stunning home.

However, not long after this, Winterson decided not to continue with the project for reasons unknown. The author sold the house, plus the contract with the architect and the plans to a friend, who finally saw the project through to completion, and now it’s up for sale again.

It’s a stunning home as the pictures show, and will make a fantastic home for someone. Winterson was correct on the writer’s retreat feel because this stunning and unique property set in the beautiful Cotswolds is truly beautiful, and we wouldn’t be at all surprised to see a new author, or creative owner soon.