The Dales

THE DALES

A country house built in 1913-14 in the late 16th century vernacular style, possibly designed by E. Boardman. The building is now used as a home for the elderly. It is constructed of coursed knapped squared flint with brick dressings and plain tiles, arranged on an irregular plan.

The east front comprises three asymmetrical bays. The left bay rises to two storeys, the right bay features a gabled first floor, and the central bay forms a three-storeyed embattled tower with a projecting gabled single-storey porch. The left gable has a crowstepped parapet. The first bay to the left is detailed with a plinth, quoins and string course of gault brick. A semi-circular bow window in red brick with a conical plain tiled roof spans the ground floor, containing nine window lights, five of which are casements, all with leaded panes and hollow chamfered brick mullions. A brick eaves cornice and a three-light window with brick ovolo mullions complete this section. The centre bay projects approximately 10cm forward and rises to the second floor, crowned with an embattled parapet of brick and knapped flint chequerwork featuring a frieze of moulded brick flowers terminating in terracotta dragons. The projecting porch has a knapped flint gable with a semi-circular headed rusticated brick arch and brick to the imposts. The double leaved door comprises vertical fielded panels with a central rail beneath a rubbed brick segmental arch. Small two-light windows with brick mullions occupy each return of the porch. The first and second storeys each contain a six-light window with brick hollow chamfered mullions, a central king mullion, leaded panes and two casements; the first floor example is transomed. The third bay to the right has a jettied first floor with a gable above, both featuring close painted timber studding. A central door to the ground floor is flanked by single lights, with a four-light window above it and two-light windows on either side. A six-light wooden casement with transom occupies the first floor. The right hand return features a polygonal two-storeyed turret with windows to four faces on both ground and first floors, with close painted timber studding between the ground and first floor windows.

The south facade is two storeys with an attic, comprising five irregular bays with crowstepped gables to bays two and five. Stacks of three octagonal painted shafts with star caps run across the axis between bays one and two, two and three, and four and five. A projecting single-storey brick porch with an embattled parapet of knapped flint and brick chequerwork stands over a frieze of moulded Tudor flower brick at the fourth bay. A four-centred moulded brick arch with foliage in the spandrels forms the entrance, with a large lozenge above of moulded brick showing a Tudor rose. The upper part of the door is glazed with a four-centred head. Bay windows in gault brick with hipped tiled roofs flank the porch at bays three and five, each with three-light casements with transoms. Leaded casements with ovolo moulded brick mullions include three-lights with transoms to the first bay ground floor, and seven-lights with transoms and two king mullions to the second bay ground floor, which projects forward beneath a fretwork brick parapet of curved brick to a balcony above. Three-light windows appear at the first and fifth bay first floors, and two-lights at the third and recessed fourth bay. A two-light window and door with a flanking light occupy the balcony above the parapet of the second bay. Two-light windows appear in the gables of bays two and five, with gabled roof dormers containing wooden casements to bays one and three.

The interior features an entrance hall with oak panelling having a fluted frieze and a strapwork plaster ceiling with floral designs. The stairway behind an arcade of classical wooden arches forms an open well staircase with shaped balusters. The main rooms to the south contain carved doorcases and marble fireplaces.

During the 1914-18 war, the house was used as a hospital.