Dales Farmhouse

Dales Farmhouse

This is a house probably dating from the late 16th century, though it has been substantially altered in later periods. The structure is timber-framed with plaster and colourwash finish, under a pantile roof. The roof is hipped to the right end, with brick ridge stacks and a projecting rear wing. The main ridge stack has been rebuilt in the late 20th century. The building follows a 3-unit plan with a wing to the rear right and 20th-century extensions on the right end.

All windows are 20th-century insertions with leaded lights. Those on the ground floor are almost entirely small oriels supported on brackets with pentice roofs. The front elevation displays a 3-window range at ground floor with 2-light casements. A 20th-century gabled porch and door occupy the right side, with a 2-light casement above and a 2-light gabled dormer. The left end features a 4-light oriel with a 4-light casement over it. The right end has 20th-century single-storey lean-to extensions with various leaded casements and doors. The rear shows further 4-light and 2-light oriels, a door, and 3-light and 2-light casements above. The rear wing has a larger 3-light oriel with a 2-light dormer over.

Interior

Much close-studded timber framing remains visible throughout. The central room contains a chamfered bridging beam with ogee stops to the chamfers, supported on a similarly chamfered cross beam above the fireplace and on the cross beam of the close-studded partition. Wide heavy ceiling joists are present. A large open fireplace features a bressumer with similar stops to the chamfers. The brick surface inside has been reworked.

The left room displays similar framing and an off-centre cross beam, possibly part of an original partition. The right room contains close-studded framing with heavy joists supported on a cross beam and partition wall. The rear wing also shows heavy framing, though the ground floor wall between the wing and the 20th-century extension has been removed.

On the first floor, framing, wall plates and jowled main posts are visible, with diagonal braces on the right end. The wing framing survives to wall plate level, but the roof was replaced in the 20th century following a fire. The main range retains more of its original roof. In the hipped section to the right, heavy rafters survive mostly to collar level. The central section retains a reasonable amount of original material including heavy rafters (some cut off below collar level, others with collars and a purlin, and curved windbrace). Beyond the stack to the left, the roof survives completely and is of coupled rafter type with collars. The first floor ceiling in this part is carried on a bridging beam with chamfers featuring ogee stops. The first floor in the central section is plastered, but the massive brick stack is visible from the roof space with the framing of the bedroom wall positioned in front of it.

The close studding and heavy ceiling joists suggest a late 16th-century date. The building retains much of its original close-studded timber frame and large open fireplace. The wall framing survives largely intact in the main range, with approximately one-third of the roof complete and two-thirds surviving at least to collar level. Wall framing mostly survives in the rear wing, and ceiling framing is present in the main range on both floors and on the ground floor of the rear wing.