Fairfield

Fairfield is a house probably dating from the late 17th century, remodelled in the mid-18th century with 20th and early 21st century alterations and extensions.

The walls are of clay, raised and extended in stone and brick, lime rendered and painted. The roofs are of graduated slate with sandstone edging and brick chimney stacks.

The building originally had a cross-passage plan, which was converted in the mid-18th century to a double-fronted central entry plan with a rear stair hall addition.

The main north elevation is rendered and painted, with a partially visible stone boulder plinth and padstone. It comprises a central two-storey three-bay section, an eastern single-storey two-bay section, and a western one-bay single-storey section. The central section has a shallow pitched roof of grey slate with stone ridge and brick end stacks. All door and window openings have plain square-section sandstone surrounds of 18th-century form. The main entrance has a six-panel door and mostly six-over-six unhorned sliding sashes, except for a two-pane sash window above the entrance. The eastern section has a pitched roof of graduated grey slate with two courses of stone edge slates and two windows in plain stone surrounds, one with a six-pane casement frame and one with a nine-pane frame; the latter window occupies the position of the former north entrance to the cross passage. The western section of the elevation is blind. The right and left returns are also blind; the left return is irregular in profile, reflecting its clay construction, and has a stone plinth.

The rear elevation has an overhanging roof with a pair of roof dormers at the east end and a partially visible stone plinth. An entrance is set in a plain stone surround. A lean-to extension with stone-slated roof is positioned to the left. A full-height modern flat-roofed extension obscures the next part of the rear elevation. Within this extension, the original south entrance to the former cross passage has a datestone above recording the initials and date 'J M 1730'. The gabled stair cross wing has a ground floor and two first floor windows with six-over-six unhorned sash windows and stone sills. The former pigeon loft at the west end of the rear elevation has inserted doors and windows to both floors.

Internally, the original cross-passage plan remains clearly legible despite mid-18th-century modifications. The eastern service end incorporates the former cross passage, and its inserted first floor is supported by a pair of waney beams. The original cruck-framed roof structure is retained to this section. The lower parts of the trusses are partially visible to the ground floor and fully visible to the first floor. They comprise a ridge beam, double purlins, and a pair of braced full crucks with blades tenoned and pegged into a yoke at the ridge and a tie beam pegged to the blades. The lower purlin on the south side has been modified to receive a pair of dormer windows. A mid-18th-century triangular truss is present to the west gable.

The modernised central and eastern end of the house has loftier dimensions and a central entrance hall flanked to either side by a reception room. Each room is entered through an original six-panel door. The eastern room has a mid-18th-century moulded plaster ceiling and cornice and a possible 18th-century chimney piece; two encased ceiling beams are finely treated with plaster mouldings. The western room has a single substantial exposed chamfered timber ceiling beam and a possible 18th-century moulded chimney timber piece.

The rear stair range is entered from the back of the hall through an arched opening and retains its mid-18th-century dog-leg staircase set parallel to the rear wall. The staircase is open string, has stick balusters and a mahogany ramped and wreathed handrail. The first floor has a balustraded landing and mostly four-panel doors.

Within the converted western addition, there are three blocked nesting holes to the former west gable of the house.