Gibside Estate, Stables

By 1747 the existing stables next to Gibside House were proving inadequate. Bowes decided to build new stables away from the house in the form of the fashionable stable block around a courtyard. Mention of the new stables was made in the cash accounts of March 1747, and the foundations were laid in November 1747. The building was designed by Daniel Garrett. The Palladian east front of the building had a central doorway set in a five bay façade. The door was flanked by niches linked by blank arcades. Decorative niches ornamented the lower storeys of the outer bays and a parapet masked most of the roof. Wings on either side of the Palladian centrepiece were set back and had the appearance of pavilions. The south side of the quadrangle was the main entrance and had two tall wooden doors. Another arched entrance on the west side meant that a coach could enter through one gateway and exit through the other without reversing. The groom's lodging was beside and over the southern entrance. There was a granary on the first floor. The upper floors were used for storing hay and fodder. There was standing for at least 20 horses and coach houses on the west side of the courtyard. Conservation and conversion work began in 2004.