Stonaford House

Stonaford House is a house of probably late 16th-century date, possibly with earlier origins, situated at North Hill. It is constructed of stone rubble with a slate roof featuring gable ends.

The house exhibits an interesting and unusual three-room plan, the original arrangement of which is uncertain. The entrance is through a late 16th or early 17th-century two-storey porch on the left-hand side of the front elevation. This porch leads directly into the left-hand room, which is heated by a moulded 17th-century stone rubble and granite end stack. The central room is heated by a stone rubble and granite axial stack that backs onto the left-hand room. The right-hand room is heated by a moulded granite end stack of circa late 17th-century date. The thick stone rubble cross wall between the central and right-hand room continues to the first floor, where there is a plastered partition above. A blocked door opening is visible from the interior only in the left-hand end wall. A stub of wall on the right-hand end suggests the house may have continued further to the right. A circa 18th or early 19th-century outshut extends across the front right of the house, containing a dairy; this is extended by the addition of a circa late 19th-century porch. A 19th-century lean-to outshut occupies the left-hand end, and a small 20th-century extension sits on the right. The roof structure above the left-hand room and two-storey porch is probably late 16th or early 17th-century. The roof structure above the central room and right-hand room may have been raised in the 18th century.

Externally, the house is two storeys with an asymmetrical one-window front and two-storey porch on the left-hand side. The roof over the main range on the right is higher than that over the porch and left-hand room. The porch has a moulded granite string above ground floor and a square-headed deep chamfered doorframe with stepped stops. A granite surround frames a two-light mullion window with hood mould on the first floor. The 18th and 19th-century lean-to outshuts are visible on both the right-hand side and left-hand end. The rear elevation has an asymmetrical three-window front with late 19th and 20th-century fenestration. A two-light casement on the ground floor to the right has a granite lintel where a two-light mullion window originally stood.

The inner entrance through the porch is framed by a square-headed chamfered granite frame with stepped stops, similar in design to the outer doorframe. The left-hand room contains a blocked fireplace with probably chamfered granite surround, and a cloam oven projection is visible from within the outshut built against this end wall. Heavy chamfered ceiling beams, some with straight cut stops, are present. A blocked opening in the rear wall, not quite opposite the entrance, has a chamfered lintel and low cill, though there is no external indication of this former door opening. The central room features a roughly cut granite lintel and jambs to the fireplace, though the ceiling beams have been renewed in the 19th or 20th century. The right-hand room was probably the parlour in the 18th century; its ceiling is plastered and the fireplace, though partly blocked, appears to have a brick or dressed stone segmental arch. A circa 19th-century china cupboard is positioned to the left. 19th-century staircases are present. The chamber above the left-hand room contains two trusses with curved and chamfered feet; the apices are morticed and the collars are partly halved, lap-jointed and pegged. These may replace earlier collars. The right-hand truss shows possible slight blackening, though the flue of the central axial stack appears to have leaked at some stage; this stack has been partly rebuilt and may have been inserted. The truss above the porch similarly has curved feet. The roof structure above the central and right-hand room was not fully accessible for inspection. The plan of this house may result from a late 16th or early 17th-century remodelling of an earlier dwelling.