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Carriage house

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A carriage house, also called remise or coach house, is an outbuilding which was originally built to house horse-drawn carriages and the related tack.

Current usages

Horse-drawn carriages are much less common now than in previous times, creating very little need in the modern world for true carriage houses. Accordingly, many carriage houses have been modified to other uses such as guest houses, automobile garages, offices, workshops, retail shops, bars, restaurants, or storage buildings. However, such structures are still often called carriage houses in deference to their original function and regardless of their current use.

Designs

Carriage houses for small, city houses could be small, utilitarian, and only adequate to house one small carriage. However, carriage houses for large estates could be quite elaborate and large enough to house many carriages, horses, tack, and hay. They could even include basic living quarters for the staff who managed the horses and carriages. Horses were occasionally stabled in the carriage house but usually in a separate barn or stable.

Other modern uses of the term

Because of the prestigious nature of some large, elaborate carriage houses, the term "Carriage House" is commonly used as part of the name of businesses such as antique shops and restaurants. Sometimes these businesses are indeed housed in former carriage houses, but some are not.

See also

References






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Last updated on Thursday May 15, 2008 at 13:15:22 PDT (GMT -0700)
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