Many years ago nobles and rich people started naming their homes. They named their Halls, Houses, Manors, Castles, and Lodges according to ancestry, location, and family titles: Norfolk House (Duke of), Belvoir Castle (overlooking the Belvoir Valley); etc. Gradually over the years other people began to give names to their homes too. This gives the owner a special feeling. It seems that the house with a name is better than a house with a number. All houses in British towns and cities have a number. Very few have just a name and majority do not have names. But it’s so romantic to live in a ‘Maple Cottage’ or ‘Chestnut House’.

Street numbering was introduced by the act of Parliament in 1765. Every house in a town and city has a number followed by the name of the road it is in e.g. 26 Mulberry street. The first house in the road is number one and the last house is the number of buildings in the street. When a house has got a number it’s easier for the emergency services to find it quickly. Odd numbers are usually assigned to the left side of the street and even numbers to the right.

The most Common Themes forThe most Common Themes for House names in BritainHouse names in Britain

House names today are inspired by a bewildering array of sources: everything from location and local history to literature and legends.

Animals and birds: Badgers Cottage, Cuckoo Cottage, Fox Hollow, Mole End, Nightingale Cottage, Robin Hill, Squirrels Leap, Swallow Barn.

Trees: Orchard House, Woodlands, Treetops, Oaklands, The Willows, The Laurels, The Beeches and The Firs.

Plants and flowers: Rose Cottage, Primrose Cottage, Lilac Cottage, Poppy Cottage.

Locations and views: Hillside, Hillcrest, Sunnyside, Woodside, Meadow View. Historical: The Coach House, The Old School House, The Old vicarage, The Old

Post Office, Mill House, The Granary and The Grange Fairytales and Old Favourites: Thimble Cottage, The Little House, The

Nutshell, Whispers, Wishing Well Cottage and The Nest.

Rose Cottage, Ivy Cottage, Sunnyside, Woodside, Meadow View, Primrose Cottage, Honeysuckle Cottage, Lilac Cottage, Willow Cottage, Oaklands,

Mill House, The Old Post Office.

Answer the questions1. Do houses in your country have names? 2. Do many English houses have their

own names? 3. When was street numbering introduced? 4. Why is it easier for a house to have a number? 5. What are the most popular house names in Britain? 6. Is it convenient to have a house with a name? 7. Would you like to have house with a

name? 8. What are the most peculiar house names for you?

Think, please, what advantages and disadvantages you have when you live in a house with a name.

Create some names for your own house and for your friends’ houses.And remember –