Carriage House

Kipling Carriage House // c.1893

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Located at the Naulakha Estate in Dummerston, Vermont, the Kipling Carriage House has long served as a companion to the larger Shingled home. This charming building originally stored author Rudyard Kipling’s carriage and an apartment space for his coachman. The quaint structure sits atop a high stone foundation and retains much of its original detailing, and inside, the structure oozes charm! After Rudyard Kipling sold the estate, the next family converted the structure to a servant’s quarters. In 1992, the British-based Landmark Trust acquired Naulakha as its first American building, later creating the Landmark Trust USA who maintain the property to this day. Like Naulakha, the Kipling Carriage House is available for short-term rentals, which helps the Landmark Trust USA maintain and restore these historic buildings.

I was fortunate enough to be able to spend a couple nights at the Kipling Carriage House and the experience is something I will hold with me for the rest of my life. The wood-lined walls, historic windows, cozy furniture, and fireplace, make you feel so at home, and sweeping views of the Connecticut River Valley add to the splendor. There is something so great about “unplugging” from screens and reading one of Kipling’s books by the fireplace in one of his properties!

Harkness Estate – Carriage House // 1908

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Another of the stunning buildings on the Harkness Estate is this massive all-purpose building that served a variety of functions, but I will call it the Carriage House. The building was constructed in 1908 and designed by James Gamble Rogers, mimicking the Renaissance Revival grandeur of the main home, Eolia. As previously mentioned, the large, U-shaped building was a multi-use support compound for the Harkness Family and their farm. The South Wing (right) of the building served as a clubhouse for Edward Harkness and his friends, with a billiards room, squash court, and two bowling lanes. This wing has large windows looking out towards the ocean and the large gardens on the property. The central block contained a garage with a turntable to facilitate the parking of limousines, a gas pump and a car wash for Mr. Harkness and his growing automobile collection. The North Wing (left) contained the horse stables, carriage area, tack room, smithy, and even a space dedicated to dog grooming. Upon close inspection you can see small rounded stones near the portals to allow the wheels to hit them rather than damage the building. Perhaps most importantly, the Carriage House was the location for the furnace room with its huge steam boiler. This boiler heated the Carriage House as well as the Mansion via an underground steam line. Apparently the building will soon be undergoing a restoration. Fingers crossed!

George Allen Carriage House // c.1895

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Built at the same time as his summer residence in Rye Beach (last post), George Allen had this gorgeous carriage house built to store his horses and carriage to get around his summertime town. The carriage house is a blending of the Colonial Revival and Shingle styles that mimics much of the main home’s design including the gambrel roof and columned entry. Sometime in the 20th century, with no more use of a carriage house, the property was sold off by heirs of Mr. Allen and converted to a private residence. The new owners have preserved the essence of the original use and made the home stand out among the adjacent mansions.

Elijah Williams Stable // 1865

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Located on the flat of Beacon Hill, built on 19th century-made land along the Charles River, this stable stands out as one of the best preserved in the neighborhood. The Second Empire style stable was built for owner Elijah Williams, a shipping merchant, who lived in a massive townhome in Louisburg Square, up Beacon Hill. As part of the stable, Mr. Williams’ coachman, Andrew McCullough had an apartment where he and his family would live, while taking care of the horses and driving over Elijah’s carriage whenever he asked. The brick structure features granite stone trim, central carriage entry, and a horsehead above.

Joy Court Stable // c.1850

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This charming building at Joy Street on Beacon Hill in Boston, MA was built around 1850 as a livery stable. The brick building appears on historic atlas maps in 1874 and owned by a C. Loring and a William Gray. The stables are a utilitarian Greek Revival style constructed of brick with granite sills, lintels, and carriage door surround. The building would have likely housed
horses and carriages on the ground floor, storage of hay and equipment on the second floor, and a dwelling unit for a liveryman (person attendant of the stable) at the upper floor. The structure was utilized as a carriage house until the 1930s, when a professional repertory group known as the Boston Stage Society occupied the space for the production of plays. In 1940, the brick stable still housed the Bam Theatre and its acting troupe, the Ford Hall Forum Players. Sometime after WWII, the rear wood frame structure was added onto and converted to condominium units and the brick stable was converted to a single family dwelling which it remains as to this day. One of the things I love about about historic cities all over the region is the creative reuse of significant buildings which preserve them in perpetuity, further adding to the layers of history.