SECTION VIII.-STABLES 



THE BUILDINGS AND FITTINGS 



In no country so much as in Britain is the horse at once the friend 

 and the companion of man, and in no country is he so well housed. The 

 arrangement and the construction of a gentleman's stable are of an impor- 

 tance second only to that of the dwelling-house itself; indeed, it is to be 

 feared that in some cases the accommodation provided for his equine 

 servants claims more thought and care than that provided for his human 

 ones. 



In selecting a position for the stables, something, of course, will 



have to be left to the special exigencies of the site, but a few general 

 principles may be laid down. While naturally taking somewhat of a rear- 

 ward position, they should be easy of access from the front entrance and 

 approach. It is not perhaps desirable to have them in too close juxta- 

 position to the domestic servants' yard and offices; but they should be of 

 easy access from the master's office or study, and from the side entrance 

 used by the master of the house and his family. As it is not desirable to 

 have too many back lanes or approaches likely to be neglected or to form 

 a loitering-place for idlers, it may be well to arrange the stable entrance so 

 as to be at the same time accessible from the main carriage-drive, and yet 

 available for such purposes as the removal of manure, &c., without such 

 operations being unduly in evidence. 



Decoration. Considering the importance of the stable department, it 

 would seem proper to give it a fair amount of architectural embellish- 

 ment, always bearing in mind, however, the sound maxim that utility is 

 the cardinal principle in all building, and that the truest architecture is 

 the artistic treatment of the useful. Whatever style is adopted in the 

 dwelling-house should be applied in a plainer degree to the stables. The 

 material, so far as it affects the internal fitting up, will be more suitably 

 dealt with at a later stage; but as regards general construction, the local 

 materials will usually be found most suitable. Brick, stone, or even wood 



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