What is a Mews House?

A traditional mews house is a home within a lane or courtyard originally used for stables, coach houses and related service buildings serving nearby townhouses. Many of these buildings have since been converted into compact residential properties.

Traditional mews houses are particularly associated with central and west London. Historic mews and newer mews-style developments can also be found elsewhere in the UK.

Where did the word “mews” come from?

The word “mews” has its origins in falconry. It originally referred to a building where hawks were kept while moulting, or “mewing”, their feathers.

By the 16th century, “mews” was also being used in connection with stables, although the characteristic urban mews of rows of stables and coach houses with accommodation above developed mainly in later centuries.

Over time, “mews” came to describe both the buildings and the lane or courtyard containing them.

The original purpose of a mews

An example of mews style properties in Kensington, London

Traditional London mews were built to provide stabling, carriage space and accommodation for stable staff serving nearby townhouses.

Horses and carriages were commonly kept on the ground floor, while rooms above could be used for storage or accommodation for stable staff. Layouts and uses differed between buildings.

Mews were usually positioned behind or close to the main houses they served. This allowed horses, carriages, staff and deliveries to reach the properties away from their main entrances.

As their original use declined, many mews buildings were adapted for other purposes, including residential use.

Traditional and modern mews houses

Not every mews house is a period property. Some traditional mews houses began as stables, coach houses or accommodation for stable staff, but the term is now used more widely.

Newer developments may use “mews” to describe homes arranged around a small street, courtyard or shared space. They may reflect the scale or arrangement of a traditional mews without having a historical connection to horses or carriages.

The word can also form part of a street or development name without describing the age or former use of its buildings. A “Mews” address does not, by itself, confirm that a property is historic.

The appearance of a traditional mews

A traditional mews is often a narrow lane or courtyard behind a row of larger houses. Its buildings may be arranged in short, closely grouped rows with entrances opening directly onto the lane.

Features vary between streets but may include:

cobbles, setts or stone paving
brick, painted brick or stucco façades
former stable or carriage entrances
compact building frontages
buildings of two or three storeys
windows above former stable or carriage spaces
narrow pavements or no separate pavement
a position behind larger terraces or townhouses

These features are not found in every mews. Some streets retain much of their earlier form, while others have been rebuilt or changed through later conversions.

Typical features of a mews house

Mews houses are often compact and arranged over two or more floors. Their shape may reflect the limited space available within the original lane or courtyard.

Some retain features associated with their earlier use, such as wide ground-floor openings, large former stable or carriage doors, exposed brickwork or distinctive roof forms. In other properties, conversion work may have removed or replaced these details.

Upper floors may once have provided storage or accommodation for stable staff above the stables or carriage space. Today, interiors range from older room arrangements to remodelled open-plan spaces.

The smaller scale of a mews can give it a different character from the streets around it, but individual settings vary. Noise, vehicle access, natural light and overlooking will depend on the position and design of each property.

Mews houses in London

An example of a how a mews street might look with a cobble stoned road

Traditional mews can be found across central and west London, including parts of Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster.

They are commonly associated with neighbourhoods where larger townhouses were built with service streets behind them. Mews can also be found in other parts of London, including areas where former service buildings have been adapted, replaced or put to different uses.

Conservation-area appraisals published by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea identify mews as part of the architectural character of several areas.

Buildings within the same mews can vary considerably in age, appearance and use. The name or appearance of a street should not be treated as proof of an individual property’s history.

What is the difference between a mews house and a coach house?

A coach house is a building originally used to keep a horse-drawn coach or carriage. It may also have included stabling, storage or accommodation.

A mews traditionally describes a lane, yard or courtyard containing a group of stables, coach houses and related service buildings. A mews house may be one of those buildings after its conversion into a home.

The terms can overlap. A former coach house may also be described as a mews house if it forms part of a traditional mews.

Coach houses are more commonly individual buildings, although they may be attached to another property or included within a group of service buildings. Mews houses are more often found in closely arranged rows or around courtyards. This is a general distinction rather than a fixed architectural rule.

In simple terms, “coach house” usually describes a building by its original function, while “mews” can describe a group of buildings, their lane or courtyard setting and, by extension, a home or development reflecting that form.

Mews houses and terraced houses

Some mews houses form part of a continuous row and share walls with neighbouring properties, so they may also be described as terraced houses.

For traditional mews houses, the description usually relates to their setting and former use rather than whether they are attached to another property. Other mews houses may be semi-detached, detached or incorporated into a larger converted building.

“Mews house” and “terraced house” therefore describe different aspects of a home. One usually refers to its setting and history, while the other describes how it connects to neighbouring properties.

How mews houses have changed over time

Mews buildings may have had several uses over time. Conversion work, rebuilding and changes of use can create marked differences between neighbouring properties.

Two homes in the same mews may have different roof forms, layouts, windows, entrances and retained architectural details. Some mews also contain replacement buildings constructed after the original service buildings.

The history or appearance of one home may not represent every property in the street.