Sir David Salomons' Motor Stables, Broomhill

This range of five motor stables was built in the early 20th century, replacing an earlier building on the same site. For descriptive purposes, they are referred to as garages 1 through 5 from south to north. The garages are constructed of buff brick, faced externally with locally quarried sandstone that matches the appearance of the main house. The roofs are slate externally, with an interior finish of pine match-boarding. Floors are laid with Victoria stone.

The garages are arranged as long, narrow rooms separated by brick party walls; the wall between garages 2 and 3 is panelled with vertical pine boarding. They face west, with garages 3 and 4 set back from garages 1 and 2, and garage 5 set even further back.

Beneath the garages is a forge, a store room, a mechanic’s dressing room, and a WC, along with access to inspection pits located beneath garages 1, 2, and 3. This lower floor is accessed via a staircase from garage 1, a spiral staircase from garage 2, or from the theatre located behind the stables.

The stone-faced, parapeted front of the garages is simple in design, with a timber-planked double door and a personnel door to each garage. The lintels above the doors have a simple classical moulding. Behind the parapets, the hipped roofs feature skylights with Mellow’s patent glazing, which is a quarter of an inch thick to resist hail.

The exterior appearance of the garages is largely consistent with earlier structures built before 1902. Later alterations are not distinguishable from the front, although changes to the roofs of the extended garages can be observed in aerial photographs.

The interiors of the garages remain remarkably intact, with many features described in Salomons’ 1902 article still present. Joinery is consistently of good quality throughout.

Garages 1, 2, and 3 retain their inspection pits and original timber covers. All internal panelled doors are original. Electrical fittings include wooden conduits, porcelain and brass light switches, and sockets designed for portable electric lamps. Original signage, shelves, hooks, and cupboards remain, along with items for tools, equipment, and spare parts. A block-work wall has been inserted into garage 1 to create a fire escape from the theatre.

In the basement level, many of the original fixtures and fittings are still in place. The mechanic’s dressing room is separated from the store by a partition of corrugated iron on a timber frame, with a distinctive rounded corner that appears in Salomons’ original plans. Original doors, electrical fittings, cupboards, signage, and the original mechanic’s WC remain.