A Horse’s Life

Today I am participating in a special, combined Thursday Doors post with Norm Frampton from Norm 2.0

On our third attempt to meet each other, we finally connected Easter Weekend in Toronto and spent a major chunk of the chilly overcast day touring Casa Loma.  You can read Norm’s post about Casa Loma here.

As pre-agreed, my post will be focusing on the stables and coach house, also known as the Hunting Lodge.

Stables on the left, as seen from the top of Casa Loma with a unicorn mounted on the wall to the right.  Credit to Norm’s lovely wife for pointing out the unicorn, which I had completely missed.

This opulent structure was actually built before the main residence itself.

The stables are located down the road from the main house and when Sir Henry Pellett could not get permission to have the road closed between his house and the stables, he had an 800 foot (244 metre) underground tunnel built to connect the two buildings.

Coach House / Hunting Lodge

The 2-storey Coach House adjacent to the stables is almost 4,400 square feet.  Pellatt and his wife lived here while the main residence was being built.

The towers and turrets of the stables

Although I had seen the stables once before several years ago, this was my first time to tour the interior.  The stables and coach house are currently used to store antique cars and carriages, but the detail that struck me first when we entered the building was the unmistaken smell of ‘barn’ which still permeates the walls.

… and while the doors are impressive, the eye is constantly drawn downward to the floor.  I wondered how slippery the tiled floors would be for horses, however later learned that the herringbone pattern of the floor was actually intended to prevent slipping.

These horses lived in style, with personalized stalls with their names outlined in gold leaf lettering.

Since we had arrived early in the day, we were able to tour both the house and stables with little to no crowds.  By the time we left though, that had changed dramatically.

From inside one of the stalls.  If you’re thinking that looks like Norm in the background through the open door, you would be right.

 

Two sets of doors, both of them grand.

If you visit Casa Loma, the stables are included in the self-guided tour and are accessed from the main residence via the tunnel.

A final look at the front entrance to the stable.

… and in case you’re wondering … yes, the Casa Loma Stables are listed in the book 150 Unusual Things To See In Ontario.

Click on any photo to enlarge.