Haulfre Stables

Haulfre Stables

A stables complex comprising three parallel ranges aligned roughly west to east. The northernmost range, closest to the house, housed the riding and carriage horses. The main range has advanced wings to the south, forming a wide U-shaped plan that encloses the north yard. The coach house occupies the west of the two advanced wings, positioned next to the main entrance to the yard beneath a clock tower. A lesser entrance stands opposite at the east end of the yard. A generator shed, built at the northwest corner of the range, would have provided power for the house and stables. Parallel to the base of the wide U, the central range opens into the south yard and lies parallel to the third range, which includes pigsties at its east end. Opposing gateways at the east and west correspond with the lesser east entrance to the north yard.

The complex is probably constructed of local rubble with roughcast rendered elevations throughout. It features hipped slate roofs, gabled half dormers with shaped barge boards and gable finials. A louvred cupola runs along the northeast stable range, a tall shouldered stack serves the tackroom in the northeast corner, and a further stack stands along the rear north roof of the central range. Doors and loft openings are boarded, and windows are large 25 or 36 pane lights with slate sills.

The north range houses restored stables with a tack room in the northwest corner. The coach house occupies the west advanced wing, with converted stables now serving as accommodation in the east wing. The entrance to the north range is under a segmental arch to the west, with doorways leading to the stables to the right and tack room to the left. A ladder under the archway on the left gives access to the loft. To the right (east) of the arch is another doorway with loft access above and flanking 25-pane lights. The advanced wing at the east end of the range has a modern doorway to the left and a modern 6-pane casement to the right, with loft access between them. To the rear of this wing are three further modern casements and skylights set into the roof. The west wing houses a 2-bay coach house with wide basket-headed arched openings with keystones. The doorways feature boarded doors with upper panels glazed and massive ornate cast iron hinges bearing the makers' name: MUSGROVE & CO LIMITED BELFAST LONDON PARIS.

To the left of the coach house, the principal entrance to the north yard has an arched opening with a stressed keystone, above which the roofline is raised as a pyramidal roof on corbelled eaves. This is surmounted by a clock tower, each side of which contains a clock face. Clasping pilasters mark each corner. Above the clock is corbelled coving leading to a railed platform, with a timber bellcote above and a tall pyramidal spire. The eaves line of the flanking roofs continues across the west and east faces of the tower as a stressed sill band forming an arcade of three arched recesses. Each pier has stressed capping and each arch has a keystone. The roof above contains small trefoiled gablets in each face. At the opposite end of the yard stand square gate piers with stepped capping. To the right is a drain which formerly served as a urinal for the stable lads, originally with slate slab walls. A stepped mounting block decorated with fox and horseshoe motifs also occupies the yard.

The south yard has similar opposing gate piers to the lesser east entrance of the north yard. The central range is a 9-bay range with the arrangement of openings (reading west to east) as: door, window, door, window, window, door, door, window, window. The doorway and three windows at the right (east) end sit at a higher level. Doors are boarded under 3-pane fanlights and windows are 36-pane lights, with three half dormers along the range. The rear wall has ventilation grilles along its length and a boarded low doorway at the east end.

The third (south) range is a plainer, lower range with openings arranged as door, window, door, window, window, door and double doors at the far right (west) end. To the left of this range are pigsties of varying widths. The rear wall is built of rubble, while the facing wall features arched openings of rendered brick with dividing walls of similar construction. The facing panels, doorways and chutes are of ornate cast iron, also by Musgrove and Co Ltd. The feed chutes operated by a handle at the top of each panel, which would tilt the chute to provide access for feeding.

The three parallel ranges are aligned across a slope, with the approach to the yards running south to north upslope along their outer west walls. To the left of the arch of the principal entrance to the north yard, along the outer (west) wall of the north range and west wing, are two large 36-pane lights serving the tack room in the northwest corner, and a further light and boarded door under a 3-pane fanlight to the generator room to the left (north). To the right of the arch is a 30-pane light in the gable apex of the central range, with ventilation grilles below. Two 16-pane lights appear in the west wall of the south range, and a small hipped roof outshut is built at the southwest corner.

The north range houses the restored stables with accommodation for six horses along the rear wall. Each horse has its name painted on a metal plaque above the iron manger and hay rack. The lower walls are panelled under a hexagonal tiled frieze with decorative border. Each stable is divided by timber panelling set within a cast iron framework, raised as a grille above and terminated by a circular newel with a rounded finial. Metal drains are set within a floor of small tiles, with the feeding passage laid in a herringbone pattern.

The tack room has timber panelling throughout with moulded coving and tall glazed cupboards along three of the walls. A simple marble fire surround with plain shield decoration occupies the south wall, featuring a cast iron and tiled grate formerly in the adjacent lodge. In front of the fireplace stands a panelled block or table. The floor is laid with diagonally set red and black quarry tiles. This room was also known as the 'ambulance room' as the local ambulance was formerly housed at the stables, with casualties brought here for medical attention.