Wing Of Medieval House And Adjacent Later Outbuildings

The wing of a medieval house and adjacent later outbuildings are located at Slaley Shield Hall, dating from the late 13th to early 14th century, with early 19th-century farm buildings added. The medieval section is constructed of squared stone with large quoins, while the 19th-century parts are made of squared rubble featuring tooled-and-margined quoins and dressings. The roofs are slate, except for part of the east range, which has stone slabs. The buildings form ranges around a yard that is open to the south, with the medieval part situated at the north-west corner.

The old building has two storeys, but only the north end is visible. It features a chamfered set-back below a first-floor window with two pointed lights, a monolithic lintel, and a pierced spandrel. Above this, there is a slit in a low-pitched coped gable. The lower part of the wall is obscured by a 20th-century pent shed. The east wall displays original chamfered loops at the ground and first floors on the far right, while to the left, inside the 19th-century range, there is a boarded door in a chamfered surround with an original shouldered head that has been partly cut away.

Inside, the ground floor has a barrel vault with a slit on the north side featuring a semicircular rear arch. A mural stair on the south side of the door cuts away the original drawbar tunnel. On the first floor, there is a shouldered rear arch with window seats at the north window, and three principal-rafter roof trusses, possibly from the 17th century.

The farm buildings consist of three two-storey ranges. The west range has boarded doors (two leading to lofts) and small windows, with a 20th-century garage door to the left, pigeon holes, and an alighting band below the eaves at the center. The roof is hipped to the left. The left return features a two-light window that imitates the style of the medieval part. The north range has a five-bay segmental arcade, mostly blocked with inserted doors and windows, and five part-slatted windows above, along with external stone steps leading to a boarded loft door on the right. The east range includes one stable door in an alternating-block surround and a one-storey extension.

The medieval building likely served as the solar wing of an unfortified manor house, comparable to Aydon Castle, with a hall block situated to the east.