Dornafield

Dornafield is a farmhouse of exceptional historical and architectural importance, dating from the late 15th century with major additions and modifications spanning the 16th, 17th, and 19th centuries.

The main structure was originally built in the late 15th century as a three-room dwelling with through passage, featuring limestone rubble walls rendered at the rear, with a gable-ended slate roof and four projecting limestone rubble stacks—one at each gable end of the main block (the right-hand one cut off at the top), one lateral stack to the front of the house, and one at the side of the rear wing. The central hearth of the original plan was open to the roof at least over the hall, passage, and lower room, and probably over the inner room.

An early 16th-century wing was added behind the inner room, also with a central hearth and open to the roof. A circa late 16th to early 17th-century rear two-storey block was then added parallel to the main block, possibly extending further than it now does. By the mid-17th century, the house was floored throughout and the position of the passage was possibly altered slightly. Lateral stacks were added at the front of the hall and side of the wing, and a gable stack was inserted serving the lower and inner rooms. A stair may have been inserted at the rear of the inner room at this stage, evidenced by a double doorway leading into it. In 1664, a two-storey porch with a date plaque was added at the front of the passage. In the late 17th century, a framed staircase was added in a projection between the hall and rear wing. A rear wing forming a courtyard was demolished prior to 1922, and a late 19th to early 20th-century outshut was added at the rear of the hall and lower end.

The front elevation is two storeys with an asymmetrical four-window arrangement. First floor windows are early 20th-century casements with glazing bars: a four-light to the left, a two-light to the porch at left of centre, and two three-light casements to the right. The ground floor has a late 20th-century five-light casement with glazing bars to the left, a 20th-century three-light casement with glazing bars to the right of centre, and a later 20th-century two-light casement without glazing bars to the right. The dominant feature is a large two-storey porch to the left of centre with a very wide round-headed granite voussoir arched doorway with chamfered arch, chamfered imposts, and roll-moulded jambs. A plaque above the arch reads "I.C. 1664" and is carved on an armorial shield, referring to a member of the Crossing family. On the left-hand wall of the porch at ground floor is a very small light with a wooden ogee-headed frame, with an identical opening on the opposite porch wall at first floor level. The front doorway to the house has a heavy square-headed wooden frame, probably contemporary with the porch, heavily moulded with ogee stops, and is fitted with a 20th-century plank door. To the right of the doorway is a small single light window with a chamfered, probably 17th-century wooden frame that lights the hall and may have functioned as a squint to the porch. The rear wing has a two-window front with a stair turret in the angle with the main block. A cobbled courtyard at the rear is bordered by the barn, which is attached to the small parallel rear block.

The interior contains exceptional features from all main building phases. Over the passage and lower end are two original smoke-blackened trusses. The truss over the higher side of the passage has principals with short curved feet of large scantling, a morticed arch-braced collar beam, a mortice for a threaded purlin, and an adjoining mortice likely for a windbrace, cut off at the apex above a small yoke. The truss over the lower room has similar principal rafters with a morticed cambered collar; the apex is complete with a square-set ridge resting on the yoke. Smoke-blackened ridge survives for one bay on either side of this truss, all heavily encrusted with soot. The greater ornament of the higher truss, with its arch-bracing, suggests it originally stood directly over the hall, and the passage was subsequently moved to lie beneath it.

Over the rear wing is a four-bay smoke-blackened roof of three trusses, at least one with curved feet. The principal rafters have threaded purlins and diagonal ridge; the morticed collars have been removed. Where the wing abuts the rear block is a curved hip post, with timbers becoming more lightly smoke-blackened towards this end. Over the hall and inner room is a later roof of less substantial principals with lapped and pegged collars. The rear parallel block has one complete truss with a principal rafter with curved foot at the front and a jointed cruck at the rear, its morticed collar removed. Where this block joins the rear wing is a complex arrangement of timbers incorporating another principal rafter with curved foot.

The lower room has a fireplace with a plain, probably replacement wooden lintel and a brick oven in the left side. Roughly chamfered cross beams and a half beam are above the fireplace. The former plank and muntin screen at the lower side of the passage has been removed, but at the higher side a 17th-century plank and muntin screen survives with bead-moulded muntins, supporting the possibility that the passage was moved. Both passage and lower room have slate slab floors.

The hall fireplace has an ovolo-moulded wooden lintel and a similarly moulded cross beam. A thick wall separates the hall and inner room, at the rear end of which is a double round-headed arched doorframe with the rear doorway now blocked; this may have originally led to stairs. At the rear of the hall leading into the wing is a heavy simply moulded, probably 18th-century doorframe with a contemporary two-panel door. Beyond it in a projection is a late 17th-century framed staircase with large square newels having rounded caps, a moulded handrail, and a closed string. The square balusters are probably replacements of turned originals. Beyond the stairs, a contemporary or slightly later two-fielded panel door leads into the room in the rear wing. The landing reached by the 17th-century staircase has several contemporary two-fielded panel doors. The rear parallel block has been subdivided, with chamfered cross beams with hollow step stops in both parts, partly obscured by the dividing wall.

According to local tradition, the house was besieged by General Fairfax during the English Civil War. This building, clearly an important house in its area, demonstrates complex evolution with substantial loss. Its significance lies in the variety of high-quality internal features, its attractive traditional façade, and most importantly, the survival of two different consecutive early roof structures of particular architectural importance.