Getting to know the Stable Yard

I am currently working on a new project: re-developing the Coach House and Stables at Normanby Hall Country Park. This project is funded by the Arts Council through our Humber Museum Partnership. These buildings are part of the Stable Yard. This is a four-sided courtyard area, with the Stables, the Coach House and the Café. The fourth side is a wall, which has a central entrance which leads to the main lawn.

It is great to get to know the Stable Yard better through this project. I will try to find out as much as possible, some of the information will be used in the new displays and the rest will be archived for future use.

What do I want to know? I want to try and find out what happened in these buildings. Who worked here, what vehicles and which animals were housed inside? I will do this though researching old plans of the buildings, oral histories, publications, photographs from our Image Archive and other sources.

Currently we have a small collection of objects on display in the Coach House and Stables. I want to find out where these came from, who used them, when were they used and where? Some of the answers to those questions I can find on our Collections Database. But quite often I will have to try and find more information about them. This I will do with the help of the trusty internet (which sometimes needs verification), publications, other museums and collectors and other sources.

Next week: Why redevelopment?