Carriage house

Carriage house, New York City, c. 1900

Fanciful rendering of the interior of a carriage house from a theatrical poster (1898)

Small carriage house, Douglas County, KS

This carriage house in Manhattan has been made over into a single-family home

For the recording studio, see Carriage House Studios.

"Coach House" redirects here. For the publishing company, see Coach House Books.

A carriage house, also called remise or coach house, is an outbuilding which was originally built to house horse-drawn carriages and the related tack.^[1]

In Great Britain the farm building was called a Cart Shed. These typically were open fronted, single story buildings, with the roof supported by regularly spaced pillars.^[2] They often face away from the farmyard and may be found close to the stables and roadways, giving direct access to the fields.^[3][4]

Current usages

Horse-drawn carriages are much less common now than in previous times, creating very little need in the modern world for true carriage houses. Accordingly, many carriage houses have been modified to other uses such as secondary suites, guest houses, automobile garages, offices, workshops, retail shops, bars, restaurants, or storage buildings. However, such structures are still often called carriage houses in deference to their original function and regardless of their current use.

Designs

Carriage houses for small, city houses could be small, utilitarian, and only adequate to house one small carriage. However, carriage houses for large estates could be quite elaborate and large enough to house many carriages, horses, tack, and hay. They could even include basic living quarters for the staff who managed the horses and carriages. Horses were occasionally stabled in the carriage house but usually in a separate barn or stable.

Other modern uses

Because of the prestigious nature of some large, elaborate carriage houses, the term "Carriage House" is commonly used as part of the name of businesses such as antique shops and restaurants. Sometimes these businesses are indeed housed in former carriage houses, but some are not.

See also

• Charles O. Boynton Carriage House
• Ladd Carriage House
• Pfeiffer House and Carriage House
• John G. and Minnie Gluek House and Carriage House

References

Notes

1. ^ AMERICAN COUNTRY BUILDING DESIGN: Rediscovered Plans For 19th-Century American Farmhouses, Cottages, Landscapes, Barns, Carriage Houses & Outbuildings, Donald J. Berg, 1997
2. ^ http://www.southhams.gov.uk/index/business_index/ksp_development_and_planning/ksp-development_and_planning-conservation/sp-development_and_planning-barnguide.htm The Barn Guide by South Hams District Council
3. ^ Historic Environment Local Management Website
4. ^ The Conversion of Traditional Farm Buildings: A guide to good practice, by English Heritage.

External links

• Media related to Carriage houses at Wikimedia Commons