mews

British  

/ mjuːz /

noun

1. a yard or street lined by buildings originally used as stables but now often converted into dwellings

2. the buildings around a mews

3. informal an individual residence in a mews

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Etymology

Origin of mews

C14: pl of _mew ³, originally referring to royal stables built on the site of hawks' mews at Charing Cross in London

Explanation

The word mews refers to a row of attached houses that often runs an entire block. Traditional mews have either been converted to housing from stables, or just built to appear that way. You'll find most mews in Britain (in the U.S. they're more likely to be called "townhouses" or "row houses"). The word mews originally referred to a row of horse stables with housing on the second floor, facing an open yard or alley. Today most mews are either these same stables converted entirely to living space, or new construction that mimics the old mews.

Example Sentences

"These people aren't scared of CCTV, they aren't scared of alarms, they aren't scared of the police," said Tomos Roberts, owner of Canna Deli in Pontcanna Mews.

From BBC • Nov. 28, 2025

The same facility – The Mews - was previously criticised by the parents of one of its service users in an interview with BBC News NI.

From BBC • May 15, 2025

Performances in theater productions including Greenwich Mews Theatre’s “Decision,” Broadway’s “Mrs. Patterson” and “Finian’s Rainbow’ at the City Center Theatre paved the way for Carter’s medium- and genre-spanning career.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2024

We went to the Royal Mews, at Buckingham Palace, to look at the real one and took photos of it, like any other tourists, then tried to do our own as authentically as we could.

From New York Times • Feb. 2, 2024

A huge step up from my narrow bunk in the Mews.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss