Another English Tradition

Something I noticed on my first trip to England as Mick and I walked around various towns and cities and villages was the fact that houses have names here. That's right, houses with names. Not like George and Bill. No, because that... would be... silly.

No, some British people are lofty enough to name their house. Why does a house need a name? A house doesn't have feelings. A house doesn't fetch. A house doesn't need to follow certain directions. You wouldn't walk into your house on a cold day after shuffling around quaint little English lanes and slam the door then bellow "HOUSE! Turn on the bloody 'eating, I'm frozen to the bone!" No, you simply would not.

Since Mick and I don't have a car, we find ourselves walking a lot (ie I find myself walking a lot because I've been designated gopher of the house) and I tend to check for houses with names. Some are really good. The most common names for houses you see involve the word cottage. The Cottage is the single most popular name for a house in England. I've seen Amnesia Cottage which I found to be a bit unusual. There was also Trees. Not The Trees or Green Trees or Leafy Trees or Trees in Autumn. No, just Trees. Here is a brief history and explanation of house naming in England.

Naming ones House is an old British custom which began with the gentry naming their manors, halls, and castles. The custom gradually spread to the masses and everyday folk began naming their homes as well. Traditionally the house name is based on who the house was 'tied' to or located at. For instance, the Lord of  'Evesham Manor' would have several properties tied to the estate. You might reasonably find Evesham Hall, Evesham Lodge, Evesham Cottages, The Gate House, The Dairy, The Barn, The Forge etc within walking distance of the Manor House.

Tradesmen and merchants also started naming their properties - Mill House, Forge Cottage, Wool Hall etc. Once the convention of house naming became the norm many other property owners followed suit by naming their house after distinguishing features within the boundaries of the house - Oak Cottage, Rose Cottage, The Pines, Orchard House, Meadow View etc.

Nowadays people name their homes from all kinds of inspirations. - The previous usage of the building inspires house names like The Barn, The Old Schoolhouse, The Old Rectory whilst some home owners name their house after well known beauty spots or   places they have had happy holidays at like Ambleside, Windermere, Broadstairs, Sorrento, Santorini or Vermont. Other house owners choose features of their home like Red Gables, Two Chimneys or Grey Tiles. Sometimes the view from the property is used like River View, Mountain View, Vista Montenasa etc. Some home owners name their residence with  terms like Serenity, Nirvana, Madhouse etc. Naming your home after animals usually seen around the property is also very popular - Badgers Cottage, Cuckoo Cottage, Curlew Cottage, Dolphin Cottage, Fox Hollow, Kestrels, Magpies, Mole End, Nightingale Cottage, Robins Nest, Rookery Nook, Squirrels Leap, Swallow Barn, The Jays and Two Hoots are all  favourites.

Properties throughout the British mainland had just house names until 1765 when an act of Parliament decreed that all new properties must also have a house number and street name for better identification of properties and boundaries.

Thanks to the site where I found that information.

Also, from the same site, is a list of the most popular house names in England.

  1. The Cottage                         

  2. Rose Cottage                    

  3. The Bungalow                   

  4. The Coach House               

  5. Orchard House                    

  6. The Lodge                            

  7. Woodlands                              

  8. The Old School House        

  9. Ivy Cottage                            

10. The Willows                             

11. The Barn                                 

12. The Old Rectory         

13. Hillside                       

14. Hillcrest                     

15. The Croft                  

   

So, this ridiculous tradition has captured my eye and what do I have to say about it?

I CAN'T FRIGGEN WAIT TO HAVE A HOUSE TO NAME! Mick wants to name it The White House because his (almost our) last name is White. And he fancies himself the President of Bognor or something, I don't know. I hesitate to name it something so vanilla (haha, white, vanilla, get it?) when there is a plethora of interesting names out there. I do like the idea of using the word White in it, though. White Glen? White Willows? White Sands? The possibilities are endless and I look forward to the day when I've acquired an English accent and have been scrambling about on the wintry lanes in town and can come home and bellow after slamming the door "Oiiii! White Willows, turn on the bloody 'eating, I'm frozen to the bone!" And then you get to go out and select a cute little plaque or sign with your house's name that you can proudly hang next to the house number.  So many styles!

What would you name your house?