Dunara, High Askomil

Dunara, High Askomil

A later 19th-century classical villa, now subdivided, consisting of a 2-storey principal block with a lower service wing set back to the west. The building is constructed of stugged, squared and snecked sandstone with polished ashlar dressings and details; the rear walls are rendered. A battered base course articulates the bay windows and steps, with rustication at the foot. String and cill courses run at first-floor level, and a bracketed frieze and cornice define the eaves.

The principal south front is composed of a 3-bay section with a quatrostyle portico at its centre, positioned above ashlar steps. The portico columns have capitals and bases and support a full entablature with a perforated and corniced parapet. The entrance door is set within a plain surround, flanked by narrow lights with stone-panelled aprons. The 6-panel, 2-leaf timber entrance doors feature plate glass fixed lights around them, and an inner door with an etched glass upper panel is surrounded by a glazed and panelled screen with stained glass leaded upper lights. Flanking canted projecting windows match the portico's cornice and parapet—a 3-light canted window to the left and a slightly projecting rectangular tripartite window to the right. Segmentally-arched windows with lugs occupy the first floor. A single bay projects to the left, set back, with a bipartite ground-floor window featuring a projecting cill and plain dressings.

The west side elevation comprises 3 bays with a single projecting bay and service wing to the left of centre. A narrow first-floor window is centred, with windows at both ground and first-floor levels.

The east elevation displays a 3-light canted window at ground-floor left and a slightly projecting tripartite window to a bay on the right. Segmentally-arched windows with lugged architraves occupy the first floor.

The north rear elevation features a rectangular stair tower projecting at the centre, fitted with a mullioned and transomed window. Two narrow windows appear at first-floor right bay. A modern window and lean-to porch occupy the ground floor, and a modern access stair to the first-floor flat is positioned in the left bay. An ashlar eaves course runs across. The west projection presents a blank wall; the service wing's rear has a single first-floor window. A random rubble single-storey L-plan outhouse with coal cellars projects northwards.

Throughout the building, plate glass timber sash and case windows occupy all original openings except for an 8-pane window to the rear of the service wing and a stained glass stair window. Grey slate piended roofs cover the main block (with platform), service wing, and outhouse. A profiled cast-iron gutter runs along the rear elevation, with a square cast-iron downpipe featuring decorative brackets on the west elevation. Ashlar stacks are positioned in pairs at the centre of the main roof and at the centres of the west walls of the projecting bay and service wing, each with bases and cornices with a string course below, and modillioned square cans.

The interior retains original fittings in most rooms, including gold columns with decorative capitals in the entrance hall, and panelled timber doors with dado panelling throughout.

The boundary treatment comprises a random rubble wall to the road with an ashlar cope, and square, stugged ashlar gatepiers at the east and west ends, each with bracketed and corniced pyramidal caps. Ornate 2-leaf cast-iron gates are fitted, with an additional pedestrian gate to the left of the west gate. A random rubble retaining wall runs to the north of the house, adjacent to which is a stone stair with a wrought-iron handrail beside the outhouse. Random rubble boundary walls enclose the property to the north, east, and west, those to the east and west topped with crenellated rubble copes.