Whats in a House’s Name: Have you decided on a name for your home yet, or are you still discussing it? Unless you’re the decisive kind, this might drag on for a long time. After all, naming your home isn’t something you do every day.
Isn’t it wonderful that we have the freedom to name our house whatever we want (within reason)? It assists us in ‘setting the scene’ in our home and making it feel more ‘ours.’ It also makes us feel a little more attached to this pile of bricks and mortar in which we currently reside.
It can also boost the financial worth of our home if we get the name of the house right. Yes, it’s true. Property experts agree that giving your home the appropriate name can boost its perceived value by thousands of dollars. So there’s no need to worry…
But you might be wondering how this whole ‘home naming’ thing got started in the first place. After all, many of people in the UK have only recently become homeowners since the 1970s. That occurred as a result of the Conservative government’s encouragement of council tenants to buy their homes at a lower price at the time. And many people complied. To some sense, the United Kingdom is a nation of homeowners. But you already knew that, right?
Every man’s fortress is his house.
But that’s a digression. Back in history, it wasn’t property ownership that was the ‘major thing,’ rather it was more land ownership that was the ‘big thing,’ many hundred years ago. However, castles and large manor houses were created, and they all needed a name to indicate how magnificent they were (and to make sure visitors found them easily enough).
But what should they be called? Many were named after places, monuments, or even ancestors. Buckingham Palace, for example, is named after its previous owner, Tory leader John Sheffield, who later became Duke of Buckingham. In 1761, George III purchased it and kept the name.
Back in the day, when the middle classes grew wealthier during the industrial revolution, more people could afford to buy a home. When they did, many of them named these modestly stately piles after the profession that had provided them with the wherewithal to acquire them in the first place. As a result, many countryside and village houses with names like Mill House, Vicar’s Cottage, and so on still exist today.
However, not all new homeowners choose such a name for their home. Others were influenced by their environment. Bluebell Cottage, Willow Lane, and Meadow Grove became well-known house names (especially in rural villages).
The Postage Act of 1765
All dwellings were not to be named – not by name, but by number – until 1765, when parliament required it. The Postage Act mandated that each house have not just a number but also a street name to denote where it was located in the village, town, or city. Of course, it makes perfect sense. It is still the system in place today.
Thankfully, we can still give our houses names (but we have to keep that number clearly displayed for the sake of the postal service or emergency services).
Living in the city and naming your home
Those who live in lovely communities nowadays are in the minority. The majority of us now live in a city or a large town. Despite the fact that the pandemic has caused thousands of people to flee those huge cities in search of a greener environment.
In a city or huge metropolis, however, a residence named Meadow View or Corner Cottage is uncommon. Those who reside in busy locations prefer names with a sense of comedy, such as Dunroamin or Costa Plenty. Some couples even construct a moniker by combining their first names, such as Colmel (Colin and Melanie).
It’s usual in Scotland to have a Gaelic name for your home, and we’re sure the same is true in Wales and Ireland. House names based on local accent are becoming increasingly popular these days.
To add a house name, click on the “Add a House Name” button.
You can easily add or update your house name on a formal basis. In fact, at Namemyhouse.co.uk, we can do it for you. It entails contacting your local council and notifying the post office of the name change.
However, if there are already several properties in your area with the same name as yours, it may be denied. Similarly, if the name you select for your home is considered offensive, you won’t be able to call it that.
If you want to alter the name of your house but it’s still part of the official address, you’ll need to register it with the Royal Mail Address Maintenance Unit. They, too, have the power to ban any names they deem offensive.
But, in the meantime, have you made up your mind about the name?