Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1892-06-24
A QUEENS STABLES.
FINE HORSES AND COACHES
FOR ENGLANUS RULER.
Costly State Carriages and Thor
oughbreds-Wh the Royal
Children Learn ~ Ride-Ap
Expensive Establishments

along the aristocratic, halt-retired, out
of-the-way as we'll as the poorer (or shall
we say the more sordidD thoroughfares
I constantly saw "mews" "writ large"
over some archway leading, for all l
knew, to a blind alley beyond.
/ learned that the word ''mews" comes
naturally from "mew," which is the call
of baby falcons. The place where royal
falcons were housed in the early days of
falconry in England, therefore, was
known as "the news" From the time
of the second Richard kings kept a
private news. In that same Richards
time Sir Simon Burley, Knight of the
Garter, was falcon-keeper of the royal
news, and the name has ever since been
passed down without single break in
the office. The position Is an ancient
one, aud in early days was valuable
gift of royalty.
The practical man at the news is the
superintendent, Mr.. Norton, who comes
next to the crown equerry, Colonel Sir
George Maude, X. c. B., at the royal
news, or, to explain, the royal stables,
Buckingham Palace. His duties are to
attend to the general working details of
the establishment, and the position, as
there arc nearly eighty men busy con-
tinuously, is no sinecure. There are half
a dozen coachmen, five irregular helpers
to them, ive-and thirty livery men aud
as many more outliveried ones. This is
outside the Windsor coachmen.
The royal stables shelter an almost in
credible number of horses as well as car.
riages, and the royal riding school, where
all the children Of the royal house learn
to ride very early in life.
OF course falcons are no longer the
reason for the existence Of any news.
Instead, there are $50 horses to be looked
after, outside OF the Queens private
stock of thoroughbreds.
In 1926 George ~ built the present
commodious quarters at Buckingham
Palace, on the north side Of the Buck
ingham Palace road. They are not par
ticularly attractive from an architects
standpoint. A lion and a unicorn guard
an iron gateway. Then comes an arch
way of stone, and then a good-sized
quadrangle, nearly a hundred yards
square. This is surrounded By brick
buildings with stone facings. Two sides
are devoted to the stabliug for twenty
small horses used for general work. On
another side are the houses were the
coaches ore kept, one house being de-
voted to the care of the great state coach;
Others are used for the semi-state coach,
the eleven dress coaches, the celebrated
jubilee landau, and other carriages.
Another side is devoted to stabling six
teen horses and holding the state har-
ness. At the north end of the quad
rangle are the stables for the state horses,
thirty-two bays, the eleven creams and
the eleven blacks. The stablemen live
in comfortable apartments over the sta
bles and coachhouses. A fine reading
room is provided at one corner Of the
building. This is supplied with books
and magazines and daily newspapers in
plenty. The riding school, already
alluded to, is fifty yards long by twenty
wide. Let US now leave the school and
glance briefly at few of the coaches.
Naturally the first coach to view is the
estate coach" This vehicle has figured
for over hundred years IN England's
pageants. 1t is an elaborate, unweldy
old affair, with panels painted by one of
the greatest artists of the eighteenth
century. To an American it looks like
a circus coach in a menagerie sawdust
play. 1t is undoubtedly splendid, as it
cost altogether nearly $4,000, or, in our
Yankee reckoning, about $40, ,OOO-a
tidy sum that. 1t was used at the crown
ing Of George ILL.,, George ~, William
w and Queen Victoria. Those SOW
ereigns generally employed the coach to
open Parliament. Qneen Victoria never
took to it much. She used it when she
dined with the Lord Mayor Of London
soon after her marriage. 1t was also used
at the opening Of the Great Crystal f'al-
ace Exposition of 1851. 1t was drawn
by eight cream -colored horses, with har-
ness trappings oil req morocco auu oiue
ribbons. 1t was such an uncomfortable
old affair that the Queen had to have
the seats made thicker and softer, and
foo:-stools provided for her feet. 1t
rumbled along on its too-strong springs,
and made the Queen by its motion as
seasick as Calais steamer across the
channel would have done. Therefore
the Prince Consort arranged seml-state
coach on the royal visit to Dublin in
1852. The Lord Mayor OF London was
retired coach builder. The Prince
Consort ordered this carriage built at
once. 1t is a grand coach, and is painted
and decorated in most exquisite designs, |
and, more to the purpose, 1t Is delight
f..tlx. ,o,nforfahia Never since the |