Abington Place and Abington Place Stables

Details

NEWMARKET

TL66SW BURY ROAD 177-1/0/10 (Southeast side) 30-OCT-06 44 Abington Place and Abington Place Stab les

GV II Racehorse training stables and trainer's house enclosing the main stable yard, with, to north-east, a further stable and feed range and a former blacksmith's shed. Dated 1889 on clock turret and on foundation stone on south-east side of house. Possibly by John Flatman, of Newmarket, for Martin Gurry, racehorse trainer. The stables in Domestic Revival style dominated by a tall clock turret; the house similar but more elaborate. Minor additions and alterations to trainer's house c1920 for Alfred Saddler, racehorse trainer, and additions on the garden side of the house c1985. Red brick, hipped and gabled slate roofs with slates renewed on some slopes, tiled hips to roof of house, boxed eaves; metal ridge vents to the single storey ranges of loose boxes; on the house tall brick stacks with cornices.
PLAN: large rectangular yard enclosed by single-storey ranges of loose boxes on the south-west and north-west sides. There is a range of loose boxes with hayloft above on the north-east side, a range of tack rooms with staff flat above on the northern half of the south-east side, and the trainer's house facing the southern half of the same side. Yard entered from drive through gateway between the end of the south-west stable range and the trainer's house. In centre of north-east range a cross passage to a range of filly stables and feed house and a blacksmith's shed.
THE TRAINER'S HOUSE. Plan is of double depth with service wing to left on front facing into the yard. Two storeys and cellar; string course at first floor level; asymmetrical front facing yard has slightly projecting block to right with central doorway flanked to right by a single-storey canted bay window with sashes, and to left a pair of sashes, on the first floor a tall central sash, to right a sash and to left two sashes, all in openings with segmental-arched heads, the sashes in the centre and on the left with glazing bars in the upper frames and central vertical bars in all other frames. In the wing to left on the ground floor are two pairs of sashes and on the first floor two sashes; in the entrance front at the south-west end of main block to left a remodelled porch and doorway, and to right a large, two-storey, canted bay window with casements in timber frames with upper mullions; on the south-east front two similar bay windows and to right a late C20, single-storey, extension.
INTERIOR: not inspected.
EXTERIOR Of STABLES: on the south-west side of the yard a range of six loose boxes with garage at left hand end, and on the north west-side fifteen loose boxes; to each box in both ranges a doorway with stable door and overlight with a pair of vertical glazing bars. The front of the two-storey north east range is symmetrical with four loose boxes on each side of a central semi-circular archway to cross-passage; in the archway vertical board double doors with glazed panels with glazing bars in the quadrant heads. To each loose box on each side a doorway with stable doors and overlights similar to other ranges and in openings with segmental-arched heads. In the loft storey in the centre and rising into the central gable a double casement with glazing bars (4x3 panes), and centred on each side a double casement with glazing bars (4x2 panes). The central cross-gabled roof has a large, elaborately shaped, stone-coped gable with stone kneelers, the gable supports the front face of a square turret with offset stone plinth, each face of the turret framed by pilasters with moulded bases and capitals and moulded frieze and bracketed eaves. On the front of the turret is a clock face; the turret's hipped, fish-scale slate roof is crowned by a timber octagonal cupola with louvred sides and a leaded ogee cap; on the apex of the cap is a cast metal finial supporting a wind vane surmounted by a figure of racehorse and jockey.
The range on the south-east side of yard is of two storeys, in the northern half on the ground floor to left two doorways leading to feed and tack rooms, in the centre a doorway, at right a doorway and tall archway to a small service yard, and on each side of the central doorway two sashes; on the second floor seven sashes; all the openings with segmental-arched heads and projecting stone sills to the windows. The outer walls of the south-west and north-west stable ranges are plain. The outer wall of the north-east range has a stone-coped gable to the central cross-gabled roof; on the ground floor a central semi-circular-arched doorway to the cross passage; on the first floor a central loft doorway, and to each side in the centre a similar loft doorway with gablet above. All the stable ranges at ground storey level have quadrant corners.
INTERIOR. The stables are mainly loose boxes except for a small set of caged boxes in the south-west corner. The loose boxes have vertical iron strapping and balustrading with turned balusters at the top of the partition walls. Office with full-height vertical boarding and fireplace in north-west corner. In the north-east corner of the two-storey section is probably original machinery for feed grinding and shredding, and there is a hoist inside one of the loft doors looking onto the service yard.
The archway under the clocktower leads to the service yard where to left is the range of Filly Stables and Feed House and to right the Blacksmith's Shed.
FILLY STABLES and FEED HOUSE. Single-storey with three openings and 2 doorways to the feed store and the 10 loose boxes beyond which have stable doors with overlights and small, partly-rebuilt, yards in front. A row of vents on the roof apex.
BLACKSMITH'S SHED. Single-storey and rectangular with hipped roof and various doorways and windows.
This is a fine and very complete example of a purpose-built integrated trainer's house and racing stables, built for a notable professional trainer, and forms a group with the entrance gateway and gates (q.v.).
HISTORY: the stables named "Abington", after the "nom de course" used by George Alexander Baird, the eccentric and very rich gentleman jockey, racehorse owner, and breeder whose eventual payment of a large debt to Martin Gurry, his former private trainer at Bedford Lodge Stables, Bury Road (q.v.), following the threat of court action, enabled Gurry to build the stables. Most of the materials and labour used were brought from Nottingham, Gurry's native city.
REFERENCE: Forest Heath District Council: Newmarket Horse Racing Training Yards; 1992.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

505811

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Newmarket Horse Racing Training Yards, (1992)

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