Old Orchard

Old Orchard is a timber-framed house on Knightons Lane in Dunsfold. The central two bays of the north range date from the 16th century, extended westward by one bay in the late 18th century. Between the 1930s and circa 1950 the building was extended to the east, with a large extension added to the south east. In 1998 a small extension and porch were added to the west of this extension.

The building is constructed with timber-framing and brick infill. The western and south western sections are clad in brick with tile-hanging, while the eastern sections are brick, and the south east extension is brick with tile-hanging above. The roof is tiled with two brick chimneystacks.

The north range retains exposed timber-framing on its north side, featuring a box frame with curved braces and midrail. The western bay has thinner scantling framing, all with painted brick infill. The western end has a painted brick ground floor but is timber-framed above with tile cladding. The western part of the south front displays brick with some vitrified headers to the ground floor and tile-hanging above. The roof is pegtiled, half-hipped to the west with an off-central brick chimneystack rebuilt above roof level. The eastern extension is brick, while the south west extension is brick with tile-hanging above, including decorative pointed tiles, with gables to the south east and west. A plank door is located on the eastern side. The principal entrance is now on the south western side, accessed through a porch with half-hipped tiled roof supported on wooden piers with brick padstones. The door itself is a reused arched and ribbed plank door on pintle hinges with horizontal boarding behind. Windows are wooden casements with leaded lights, some from the early 20th century and some later, including some with small pointed arched lights.

Internally, the western ground floor retains an open fireplace with a chamfered wooden bressumer, though the brickwork is renewed. The ceiling features a chamfered spine beam with lamb's tongue stops and square floor joists. This room originally comprised two bays with a partition wall between them, now removed; the western bay has floor joists of thinner scantling running in the opposite direction. The eastern ground floor room has a mid-20th century fireplace with a wooden shelf and brackets. The south east kitchen also contains a mid-20th century fireplace with reused timbers in the ceiling. A later 20th-century oak staircase is present.

The roof structure of the original two bays in the north range is queenpost, exposed on the first floor along with wall frames featuring curved tension braces to both external walls and internal partitions. The eastern wall of the western room, which was once the original external end wall, preserves a panel of wattle and daub. The remainder of the wall frame of the western room consists of thinner scantling with diagonal braces of late 18th-century type. The roof is reported to contain hardwood timbers, wattle and daub partitions, some charred rafters, ancient brickwork to the chimney, and many tiles secured with wooden pegs. The large south eastern bedroom has a mid-20th century brick fireplace with a wooden shelf.

The leasehold on the property is dated 1660. Ordnance Survey maps from 1871, 1895, and 1913 show only the northern range. A later 19th-century photograph shows the eastern end occupied by a lean-to woodshed. This photograph also reveals that the south front was at that time faced in brick and flint, the original entrance was on the south side, and the roof was originally hipped at both ends.

The building is substantially intact, retaining a significant proportion of its original fabric. The original plan form remains readable despite the later additions.