Plot a legend outside of the plotting area in base graphics?

Question

As the title says: How can I plot a legend outside the plotting area when using base graphics?

I thought about fiddling around with layout

Answer 1

Try layout() which I have used for this in the past by simply creating an empty plot below, properly scaled at around 1/4 or so and placing the legend parts manually in it.

There are some older questions here about legend() which should get you started.