What is a Carriage House?
In times past, a carriage house filled an important need in both homes in the city as well as in the country. Originally designed as a coach house, the carriage house was used to provide covered space for coaches and carriages when they were not in use. Often, the carriage house also included space for accessories and maintenance equipment related to the carriages. In some larger versions of the carriagehouse, space for horse stables were also included in one section of the edifice. Depending on personal taste or the financial status of the owner, carriage houses could be elaborate structures, or something that was more simplistic and utilitarian. Victorian carriage houses tended to imitate the architectural detail of the main house on the property. This could include such features as bay windows and even some stained glass, as well as elaborate scrollwork on the eaves and other sections of the façade. The area around the carriage house was often landscaped, as a way of continuing the
A carriage house is a similar concept to a home with an attached garage. Generally, carriage houses are stables with a home built on the upper half. The bottom area would be large enough to store the carriage during poor weather. It was also possible for less wealthy families to create their own versions of a carriage house using an attached stable or carriage storage area (similar to that of a garage by today’s standards.) The more wealth someone had meant the more space they had beneath their home. For example, all carriage houses were equipped with a place to store the carriage. Families who were wealthier were able to afford a home that would store both their carriage and the supplies for maintaining the carriage. Even wealthier families could afford to have their carriage (or multiple carriages) stored below, as well as stable areas for the horses, hay storage and of course, storage space for the maintenance supplies of the carriage itself. When did carriage houses come into play?
