Mews: Difference between revisions

[[File:Mews House - geograph.org.uk - 911973.jpg|thumb|Mews house. Third of three identical buildings, Bruton Place (formerly North Bruton Mews) off [[Berkeley Square]], Mayfair, London W1. The [[winch]] for [[horse feed]] canis be seenvisible in front of the attic door]]

A '''Mewsmews''' is a [[British English|British]] name for a row or courtyard of [[stable]]s and [[carriage house]]s with living quarters above them, built behind large city houses before motor vehicles replaced horses in the early twentieth century. Mews are usually located in desirable residential areas, having been built to cater for the horses, [[coachman|coachmen]] and stable-servants of prosperous residents.

The word mews comes from the [[Royal Mews]] in London, England, a set of royal stables built 500 years ago on a former royal [[hawk]] [[Mews (falconry)|hawk mews]]. ItThe term is now commonly used in English-speaking countries for city housing of a similar design.

After the advent of[[Second World War Two]], mews were replaced by alleys and the carriage houses were replaced by garages for automobiles.{{citation-needed|date=March 2024}}

''Mews'' derives from the French ''{{lang|fr|muer''}}, "'to [[moult]]"', reflecting its original function to confine hawks while they moulted.<ref name=OED>''Oxford English Dictionary'' online, accessed 17 February 2019</ref> [[William Shakespeare]] deploys ''to mew up'' to mean confine, coop up, or shut up in ''[[The Taming of the Shrew]]'': "What, will you mew her up, Signor Baptista?"<ref>Samuel Weller Singer, ed., ''The Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare'', vol. III (Chiswick: Charles Whittinghame, College House, 1826), p.357, fn. 13</ref><ref>''Ibid.'' p. 357</ref> and also ''[[Richard III (play)|Richard III]]'': "This day should [[George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence|Clarence]] closely be mewed up".<ref>See ''mew up'' at [http://www.shakespeareswords.com/Headwords-Instance.aspx?Ref=10947 Shakespeare's Words website]. Accessed 26 March 2017</ref>

The term ''mews'' is still used today in falconry circles in English-speaking countries to refer to the housing of the birds of prey used in falconry.

From 1377 onwards, the king's falconry birds were kept in the [[Royal Mews|King's Mews]] at [[Charing Cross]].

The name mews was taken up for domestic stables in the city during the 17th century.<ref name=OED/> The 18th -century [[Washington Mews]] in [[Greenwich Village]], New York City matches the [[London]] buildings in period, purpose and name.

Mews are often found in the boroughs of [[Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea|Kensington and Chelsea]] and [[City of Westminster|Westminster]] (particularly [[Mayfair]] and [[Marylebone]]).

This arrangement was different from most of [[Continental Europe]], where the stables in wealthy urban residences were usually off a front or central courtyard. The advantage of the British system was that it hid the sounds and smells of the stables away from the family when they were not using the horses. Nevertheless 45 of the buildings in {{ill|Kerkstraat|nl|Kerkstraat (Amsterdam)#Karakter en gebruik}} in Amsterdam were originally the stables and coach houses of houses in Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht, between which it runs.

Mews isare not used for large individual non-royal British stable blocks, a feature of [[country house]]s. For example, the grand stable block at [[Chatsworth House]] is referred to as the stables, not the mews.

Contemporary movements to revitalise and creatively re-use historical and traditional features of urban environments have also cast some appreciative light on mews. A contemporary presentation of the some 500 former horse stables in the city of London appears in the book ''The Mews of London: A Guide to the Hidden Byways of London's Past.''<ref> (Webb1982), &including Bowerindividual chapters providing history and walking maps for mews in six districts surrounding (and adjacent to) Hyde Park: [[Bayswater]], London[[Notting Hill]], 1982[[Kensington]], [[Belgravia]], [[Mayfair]], and [[Marylebone]].<ref>{{ISBNcite book |title=The Mews of London |first1=Barbara |last1=Rosen |first2=Wolfgang |last2=Zuckerman |first3=Christopher (photographs) |last3=Wormald |year=1982 |location=[[Exeter]] |publisher=Webb & Bower |isbn=0-03906671-06241950-3}})[7 |url=https://openlibraryarchive.org/worksdetails/OL4631036Wmewsoflondonguid0000rose/The_mews_of_Londonpage/n7/mode/2up?q=Isbn The|access-date=2023-12-31 Mews|url-access=limited of|via=[[Internet LondonArchive#Text atcollection|Internet OpenArchive LibraryBook Reader]]}}</ref>

In 2015 a survey of the mews in London estimated that there were 391 original and surviving mews properties still in existence, and 239 which had been redeveloped.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://everchangingmews.com/about |title=About |website=Everchanging Mews |date=15 June 2018 |access-date=13 April 2022}}</ref> The survey classified an "Authentic Mews" property as "A property in a Mews – a lane, alley, court, narrow passage, cul de sac or back street originally built behind houses in the 17th, 18th and 19th Centuriescenturies to provide access for stables or coach house accommodation (often with associated living accommodation) – that is now most likely to be a modernised residential dwelling, possibly with commercial premises. An Authentic Mews property will still retain the approximate appearance, form and footprint of the original Mews but it may have been re-developed to a degree and no longer retains all original Mews features."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://everchangingmews.com/mews-list/ |title=Mews List |website=Everchanging Mews |date=19 October 2019 |access-date=13 April 2022}}</ref>

[[Category:Architecture ofin the United Kingdom]]

[[Category:StreetsTypes of streets]]