Stallion Boxes, Trophy Room, And Covering Yard, Childwick Bury Stud

Stallion Boxes, Trophy Room and Covering Yard, Childwick Bury Stud

Two ranges of stallion boxes and a covering yard, built in 1888 for Sir John Blundell Maple, founder of the stud. The building is probably by Colonel R.W. Edis FRIBA. A stone shield on the west-facing gable bears the date 1888.

The structure is built in red brick with end-gables and cross-gables, topped with plain tile roofs. The roofs feature decorative pierced ridge tiles and wide timber-lined eaves to the gables, supported on shaped timber brackets set on moulded corbels. On the roof of the west range sits a square central timber louvre with a hipped plain tile roof, surmounted by a finial with a metal wind vane cut to the profile of a racehorse and jockey.

The plan consists of west and east ranges at each end of the covering yard, linked by the north and south walls flanking the yard. The west range contains a central Trophy Room (also known as the Shoe Room), accessed from a recessed porch, with a large stallion stall on either side, entered from the rear via the covering yard. The east range contains a central store room with a stallion stall on either side, all entered from the covering yard.

The exterior of the west range is single storey with a brick offset plinth. The symmetrical front facing the Main Yard features central cross-gables to front and rear and end-gables with eaves braced by parallel pairs of timber collar ties carried on the exposed ends of projecting roof purlins, supported on curved timber braces. The exposed ends of wall plates at the feet of the gables are supported on similar brackets. The front has a central porch recess framed by moulded corners and a Tudor brick arch. The inner wall of the porch is timber framed, panelled and glazed, with a central doorway to the Trophy Room. On each side of the porch is a Tudor arched fixed-light with central vertical glazing bars. Each end wall contains an arched casement with central vertical glazing bars, and within each end-gable is an oculus. At the rear, beneath the central cross-gable, is an arched doorway on the right to the Trophy Room with a vertical boarded door, and on the left an arched casement behind cast iron vertical bars. Within the gable is a stone shield inscribed "ROYAL HAMPTON 1887", commemorating a stallion owned by Sir John Blundell Maple. Towards each end of the range is an arched doorway with a stable door hung with cast iron strap hinges. All arches feature bright red, gauged and rubbed brick voussoirs, and window openings have projecting sills.

The interior of the west range Trophy Room has walls lined with green baize above a vertical timber boarded dado and a boarded ceiling. Set on the baize on the walls and on the rear door are hundreds of horse shoes arranged in rows. Each shoe frames a lacquered inscription detailing a winning or placed horse bred at the stud since its foundation. In each of the stallion boxes are brick paving, a stone plinth, tall vertical-board dado with ceramic wall tiling above, and a boarded ceiling. In three corners of each box is a canted brick-faced manger. Above the arch of the window in the south stallion box is a painted inscription reading "MAJOR PORTION", commemorating a Royal Ascot winning stallion in 1958, owned by H.J. Joel and formerly standing at stud.

The exterior of the east range features end-gables with details similar to the west range gables. On the west slope of the roof are three louvred ventilation gablets. The symmetrical front facing onto the covering yard has a central doorway to the store room and, on each side, a doorway to a stallion stall with a vertical boarded stable door and cast iron strap hinges. In each gable-end wall is a casement with an upper transom in an opening with cambered brick arch. The rear wall of the range is blank.

The interior of the east range contains a central tack room with vertical boarded walls. Each of the two flanking stallion boxes features similar details to those in the west range.

The flanking walls of the covering yard are brick with brick coping. In the centre of the north wall is a gateway with double vertical boarded gates hung on timber posts.