Building record 71/5/5 - Croughton House stables

The group of stables formerly associated with Croughton House appear to date to the latter years of the nineteenth century or the beginning of the twentieth.

{1} The group of stables formerly associated with Croughton House appear to date to the latter years of
the nineteenth century or the beginning of the twentieth. Stylistically, and also from the materials used in the construction of the buildings and internal fittings, the group seems most likely to date to the last years of the nineteenth century. The few corroborating pieces of evidence, such as the stamped makers’ names on the brass handles of the loose boxes and associated internal door, fit best in this period. Whilst the makers’ name on the doors of the garage could date from c1850 it appears that they are still in use today and so do not help in close dating. It is possible that some of the internal features along with their fixtures were renovated during the early years of the twentieth century.

At this period the Ramsay family owned the property. The estate was sold between 1924 and 1928
to the widow of Captain Bowlby. The presence of the newly refurbished stables might have been a
consideration since her husband was clearly a keen horseman having been in the Royal Horse
Guards though it is not known if Mrs Bowlby shared that interest. The stables apparently continued to be used for horses into the 1970’s and in part have been well maintained, though in places the building structure has deteriorated. Apart from the loose boxes, little remains within the buildings and of the stables section only a single travis remains. A whole floor has been lost in this section.

The stable-yard retains mostly only fragments of former surfaces. There is now little indication of
the pump indicated on the Ordnance Survey map apart from a shallow depression in the ground.
The pump itself has disappeared. There are no external fixtures or fittings, nor is there any
indication of a mounting block, a common feature.

The roof appears to have been altered or possibly re-covered. There is no evidence of louvres or
ridge vents which must have been present above the section housing the loose boxes and the
presence of the galvanised ridge covering suggests some alteration. The ventilation openings mostly
retain their sliding panels, though they are simply made and could only have functioned as a whole
group. Why there was not the option for individual opening of these, especially in the west wall, is
unclear. Given the use of good-quality fittings on the doors this crude ‘all or nothing’ system seems
out of place.

All stable and loose box exterior doors are missing but it has been noted that these were not twoleaf
stable doors since only one air of hinge sockets are present in each jamb. Some window frames
remain; their condition varies.

<1> Prentice, J., 2016, Building recording of former stables associated with Croughton House, Croughton, Northamptonshire, checked (Report). SNN110273.

<2> Crank, N. (Editor), 2017, South Midlands Archaeology (47), p. 36 (Journal). SNN111362.

Record last edited

Apr 18 2019 2:58PM