Retreats & Meditation



St Ethelwold’s House offers a supportive place of quiet which you can use for a day or more, or even just for an hour or two in the middle of a busy day .

From time to time we all need a place to be quiet and to reflect on the deeper things of life. A time of quiet reflection can be the route to discoveries about who we really are in the depths of our being, and it can be a time of inner healing and transformation.

We have a beautiful meditation room, two small retreat rooms on the banks of the River Thames which can be used for private quiet time. St Ethelwold’s House has all the facilities needed for groups who want retreats, quiet days or organisational development days.

The River Rooms


The garden, overlooking the River Thames, is a place to relax and enjoy the spaciousness of nature, whatever the time of year.  There are plenty of benches and seats and the little River Room is always open and can be a warm sanctuary when it is raining.

The larger River Room also nestles at the bottom of the garden on the banks of the river.  It is comfortably furnished with an easy chair and a writing desk, and there is heating for the colder weather.  A small ‘patio’ on the river side, is a private space for meditation, reading or just watching the river go by. The larger River Room can be booked for a day and costs £10 and there is a small additional charge for heating in the winter.

The Sanctuary


The Sanctuary is a non-denominational meditation room which can be used for individual meditation or by meditation groups.  It is also used for yoga, Tai Chi and other meditation practices. Individual use of the Sanctuary is possible when there are no groups booked. You may enjoy some of the regular events we hold in the Sanctuary, such as meditation groups, book groups, and more.