Palace House Stables And Trainer'S House Including Fountain, Lamp Standard And Former Dung Pits

Racehorse training stables and trainer's house. The western yard of stables was built around 1857 to 1860 on the site of former royal stables, incorporating some 17th-century walling from these buildings, for Baron Meyer de Rothschild after he had bought Palace House Mansion, which stands opposite. The stables and trainer's house were altered and extended with a second eastern stable yard and ancillary stable ranges further east between 1896 and 1903 by W C & A S Manning for Leopold de Rothschild and his trainer, Alfred Hayhoe. The trainer's house and part of the stables were badly damaged following a fire in 1989 and were re-roofed in 2003.

Construction and Materials

The trainer's house and east stable range facing onto the western stable yard are built of gault brick with dressings of gault brick painted red, and of red brick in later alterations and additions. They have gabled slate roofs to the house and hipped slate roofs to the stable ranges. The outer walls of the south and west stable ranges are of flint with gault brick dressings, while the walls facing onto the stable yard are of dressed clunch with dressings of gault brick painted red and of red brick in later alterations. These ranges have hipped plain tile roofs. The stable ranges facing onto the eastern stable yard are of red brick with terracotta dressings and have half-hipped and cross-gabled slate roofs.

Layout

The complex comprises two almost square adjoining stable yards. The entrance gateway from the street is on the west side of the western yard. On the north side of the western yard stands the trainer's house with a recessed wing to the right for service and staff accommodation. The house was originally a single range, enlarged in 1903 by the addition of a taller parallel range at the rear and an extension at the west end replacing a conservatory. Facing into the western yard are: on the west side a range of loose boxes; on the south side a similar but narrower range of loose boxes; and on the east side a range of loose boxes with a wider block of tack and feed rooms at the north end, a passageway to the eastern yard at the south end, and a loft above. The eastern yard has on its east side a range of loose boxes with loft above, and on the north side a range of loose boxes. In the centre of the yard stands a fountain with a circular basin and central feature. To the east of the east yard are two small detached ancillary stable ranges and a large circular dung pit.

Trainer's House

The trainer's house is of two storeys and has a cellar. The front was originally symmetrical in three bays and was extended to the left in 1903. On the ground floor is a central entrance porch with Tuscan columns and entablature. To each side of the porch is a tripartite window with plain sashes, and on the first floor are three plain sashes. At the west end facing onto the street, the blank gabled wall of the earlier range to the right and the later range adjoining to the left are both framed by red brick strip pilasters.

The interior is now awaiting complete reconstruction. The lower part of the spine wall up to about one metre above the level of the first floor is of coursed clunch and appears to be the north wall of the 17th-century royal stable block. Clunch rubble in the upper part of this wall and elsewhere may have been reused from the same source. A short length of red brick ground floor walling extending northwards from the spine wall is also of 17th-century date. The central entrance hall retains evidence of a staircase with curtail step and stick balusters. Remains of other decorative features, mostly dating from 1903, survive.

Western Stable Yard

On the west and south sides are single-storey ranges of loose boxes. In the west range facing onto the yard, each box has a stable door with overlight in openings with brick quoining to the jambs and segmental arched heads. In the south range, each box has a similar stable door with overlight and with a sash with glazing bars (two by two panes) to the left, all in openings with brick quoining to the jambs and segmental arched heads. The outer wall of the range facing the street is of knapped flint with eight similar horizontal sliding sashes with glazing bars (four by two panes), one to each box at high level, all in openings with brick quoining to the jambs.

The stable range on the east side of the yard is of two storeys. In the lower storey are stable doors to loose boxes, and on the upper floor is a feed loft. On the west front, a flight of stone steps leads to the loft doorway, approached by a stairway built of reused moulded stones, probably salvaged from window or door openings from a demolished part of the royal palace. To the left is an inserted carriageway to the eastern yard.

All loose boxes in the western yard were refitted in 1903 and are lined with hoop iron strapping on a high vertical board dado with white glazed tiles above. In the inner corners of each box is a quadrant patent ceramic manger, each with green glazed tile splash panels above, and patent tile floors. In the centre of the yard is a former dung pit converted to a flower bed.

Eastern Stable Yard

On the east side, a two-storey range of loose boxes with loft above has a symmetrical front with a central cross gable facing the yard. The wide verge to the gable has plain bargeboards braced by a collar supporting a moulded king post with drop. On the ground floor, each loose box has a stable door, and to the right is a carriageway with a segmental arched head. On the loft storey, to either side of the gable, are half-hipped dormers.

On the north side of the yard, abutting the north end of the east range, is a single-storey range of loose boxes with a symmetrical front featuring a central cross gable facing the yard. The wide verge to the cross gable has timber details similar to the cross gable on the east range. On the cross gable is a terracotta plaque inscribed 1903. On the ridge of the roof behind the cross gable is an open-sided cupola with corner timber posts and lintels supporting an ogee profile lead roof crowned by a metal wind vane. This contains the outlet for the ventilation shafts from the two central loose boxes. Each loose box in both ranges has a stable door with overlight. The south side of the yard is enclosed by a brick wall.

In the centre of the east stable yard is a circular fountain with a basin wall of brick capped by terracotta blocks. In the centre of the basin is a square pedestal with a moulded top supporting an obelisk with a recessed panel on each side and crowned by an urn. On each face of the moulded top of the pedestal is a spout in the form of a dolphin. In the east stable yard stands an ornate cast iron lamp standard.

The loose boxes in both ranges of the eastern yard are linked by doors in the cross partitions; otherwise the details and fittings are similar to the loose boxes in the western yard. In the loft storey in the east range is an open timber roof. The metal ventilation shafts rising from openings now closed in the ceilings of each loose box to louvred vents on the roof ridge are cased in timber. Similar timber-cased ventilation shafts are found in the roof space of the north range.

Detached Ranges and Dung Pit

Immediately east of the eastern court are two small detached stable ranges and a circular brick-walled dung pit.

History

Baron Meyer de Rothschild bought the former royal palace and stables in 1857. After rebuilding the stables, the Baron installed Joseph Hayhoe as his racehorse trainer in 1860. He was succeeded as trainer by his son Alfred Hayhoe. Many famous racehorses were trained at the stables for members of the Rothschild family.