House Names

DorsetDude

DorsetDude

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Ive often wondered why houses have names. I can understand it on a boat say, but a house, why?

So, has anyone here moved into a house or one day thought, this house needs a name, 17 Avenue Road just isnt enough. If so how did you select a name? What was it? Why did you want a name?

Have you ever moved into a house that already had a name? Did you leave it/remove it/change it?

I'm really talking about suburban style housing not remote farm-houses type dwellings.

First one to post that Llamehtdos is their house name - banned for life.
 
I changed my house name to "F***ng Thing" when the ridge tiles came off in the winter storms at New Years :lol:
 
Neadswerk
 
My house has a name, which it has had since it was built it 1860, so we left it, not sure if I'd class it as suburban style housing but all the houses on the street have names not numbers.
 
Word of mouth named houses. Oak Tree cottage would be called that because of the big oak in the front garden. Riverside house again for obvious reasons.

It's the same reason streets have names.

My house (since the 1700s) has been called Lawview - becuase it overlooks the Law (Hill)

None of the houses (rural) here have numbers.
 
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I've always fancied a house with a name, but really because, as you said, it is normally found on old and/or rural properties.

My inlaws recently moved in to a house where every house on the street has a name but not a number - there are very regularly delivery drivers going up and down trying to find the house - numbers are a big help when you have more than a couple of houses.
 
I've nothing against people living in a long urban street giving their house a name if they wish though. Each to their own.

Just never go for Dunroming :cautious:
 
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dinners said:
I've nothing against people living in a long urban street giving their house a name if they wish though. Each to their own.
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Me neither.

So far it seems that most people leave the name if it already has one on it. Which seems reasonable. If I were to stick up "Osprey's View" on my little bungalow, it might seem a tad weird maybe.
 
dinners said:
Word of mouth named houses. Oak Tree cottage would be called that because of the big oak in the front garden. Riverside house again for obvious reasons.

It's the same reason streets have names.
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Have to say I doubt that. Street names are whatever the councillors could come up with at the time of the development stage meeting I suspect. Having Osprey close, Mallard road, curlew close, Kestrel Drive round here probably implies one of the councillors was a bird watcher or something.
Some road names loosely based on what was there before the roads. For instance again round here, was an old airfield and factory so we have "The runway", Comet drive, viscount way etc.

In a vaguely OCD way I do find it quite interesting.
 
At my old house (built 1969), the road didn't have numbers so I called my house Netherfield, renamed from Colinswood. I would tell people that it's because I'm a single man of good fortune and see if they were able to work it out (I know it should have been "Netherfield Hall" to be strictly accurate).

My current home also has a name rather than a number, but it's the one the previous owners gave it as I couldn't be bothered to change it.


The reason that both had names was because the roads weren't numbered. It's difficult to address mail without at least one of those.
 
@Nod, of course, is happily married and no longer involved with greasers and patches and helmet rallies so his house is named "Dungangbangin"
 
DorsetDude said:
Have to say I doubt that. Street names are whatever the councillors could come up with at the time of the development stage meeting I suspect. Having Osprey close, Mallard road, curlew close, Kestrel Drive round here probably implies one of the councillors was a bird watcher or something.
Some road names loosely based on what was there before the roads. For instance again round here, was an old airfield and factory so we have "The runway", Comet drive, viscount way etc.

In a vaguely OCD way I do find it quite interesting.
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Osprey close, Mallard Road etc - you're on about new developments in which case I agree - they pluck some silly theme from thin air.
 
onomatopoeia said:
At my old house (built 1969), the road didn't have numbers so I called my house Netherfield, renamed from Colinswood. I would tell people that it's because I'm a single man of good fortune and see if they were able to work it out (I know it should have been "Netherfield Hall" to be strictly accurate).

My current home also has a name rather than a number, but it's the one the previous owners gave it as I couldn't be bothered to change it.


The reason that both had names was because the roads weren't numbered. It's difficult to address mail without at least one of those.
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Is there some wort of official 'deedpole' way of chaning it with the land registry? Does it appear correct on all those websites where you put in your postcode and it comes up with a list of available choices?
 
TopBanana said:
Is there some wort of official 'deedpole' way of chaning it with the land registry? Does it appear correct on all those websites where you put in your postcode and it comes up with a list of available choices?
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i think you just have to let royal mail know so that they can update the "database"?

FWIW i think my house should be named "bob". it looks like a "bob".
 
TopBanana said:
Is there some wort of official 'deedpole' way of chaning it with the land registry? Does it appear correct on all those websites where you put in your postcode and it comes up with a list of available choices?
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You need to tell the council and the Royal Mail, from memory. At least one of them has the power to say no to your choice. The Royal Mail definitely don't like names like "Forty Two" on an un-numbered street.

If the street is numbered so any name doesn't form part of the official address and therefore isn't used for delivery, I don't think you have to tell anyone.
 
royal mail can hold you hostage a little bit on this. i know someone who bought one of two houses on what was previously a single plot, one was 1a and the other 1b (for example).

because RM hadn't updated their database which literally every other system does postcode lookups from they couldn't get anything done like sign up for telephones, utilities because nobody could "see" their address.
 
Round where i work all of the houses have names. Drives me nuts sometimes when I have to go round.
 
Used to do to deliveries a few years ago in an area up in Cheshire, full of long windy lanes. Most of the houses did not have numbers, they had names. Used to really annoy me when they just gave me the name of the house, and nothing else to go on. If I was lucky enough to have the customers number, I would ring them up. When I rang to ask where their house was, some smart ar**s would say in the same place it's been for the last forty years. Or if I was looking for a house called wood house, they would say it's next to fair tree cottage. Not very helpful on a fast winding lane !
 
Also not very helpful when they don't have a sighn with the name on, and trust me there are a fair few that don't
 
There's a house near here called "4 Humpty Dumpty Meadow" or some such.

I hate house names - my satnav hates them too.
 
The one that really annoys me is "Dunroamin!"
 
DorsetDude said:
First one to post that Llamehtdos is their house name - banned for life.
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CRAP! that was the first one that sprang to mind :(

House names can be a real PITA if you are trying to deliver / provide a service etc.
At least house numbers can be counted down (or up)
If said house doesn't have a number, or a hidden one.

But "Willow cottage" can be a real arse to find, especially if there isn't a name plate or willow tree growing in the front garden.

I think TBH that its a bit of a "status symbol", especially for those in less than rural locations.
 
My home had a name when my parents brought it all them years ago, the first thing my dad did on moving in was to remove the name post from lawn with a sledge hammer, he didn't like the name :lol: that said to the right property I think name is the way to go as already said
 
As a delivery driver in a previous life I think that all houses should have a number as well as a name if they wish. :)

I have memories of driving up and down a lane over several days trying to find a house with just the name to go by but no phone number. After about a week we received a complaint about the non delivery of the item which included the phone number of the person so I phoned her and was told that the house name was clearly marked, so next day I duly drove up and down the lane again with no joy. I phoned the woman who by now was getting a bit stroppy and asked her to humour me by standing outside the house so I could see her.
Success! :banana: :woot:

As I handed her the parcel, I asked her where the house name was as I still couldn't see it, and she pointed to a dark tree stump INSIDE the gate which had the house name painted on it in black paint! :banghead:

.
 
Tigger.ufo said:
As a delivery driver in a previous life I think that all houses should have a number as well as a name if they wish. :)

I have memories of driving up and down a lane over several days trying to find a house with just the name to go by but no phone number. After about a week we received a complaint about the non delivery of the item which included the phone number of the person so I phoned her and was told that the house name was clearly marked, so next day I duly drove up and down the lane again with no joy. I phoned the woman who by now was getting a bit stroppy and asked her to humour me by standing outside the house so I could see her.
Success! :banana: :woot:

As I handed her the parcel, I asked her where the house name was as I still couldn't see it, and she pointed to a dark tree stump INSIDE the gate which had the house name painted on it in black paint! :banghead:

.
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That reminds me of a customer I had to deal with once well several times actually, over our inability to deliver a new credit card to her, it took several attempts until it go so bad that we had to arrange a door to door courier to collect the card from our office and hand deliver it to her, it turned out she lived up some massive track and actually had two post boxes at this house she had just moved to a few months earlier and in the one it turned out there were 4/5 replacement credit cards :bang:
 
Tigger.ufo said:
As a delivery driver in a previous life I think that all houses should have a number as well as a name if they wish. :)

I have memories of driving up and down a lane over several days trying to find a house with just the name to go by but no phone number. After about a week we received a complaint about the non delivery of the item which included the phone number of the person so I phoned her and was told that the house name was clearly marked, so next day I duly drove up and down the lane again with no joy. I phoned the woman who by now was getting a bit stroppy and asked her to humour me by standing outside the house so I could see her.
Success! :banana: :woot:

As I handed her the parcel, I asked her where the house name was as I still couldn't see it, and she pointed to a dark tree stump INSIDE the gate which had the house name painted on it in black paint! :banghead:

.
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I used to deliver parcels during the day, and found it difficult when houses had no names and no numbers. I also at one time used to do Take Away food deliveries in the evening, and late at night and what a nightmare that was. It was a real problem finding numbers / names of houses that had a long drive. I used to either drive up the drive, or park up and walk up the drive, to the front door. It was at times so dark, I had to get really close to the door to try and find a number. If it was not the right house, it was awkward walking away from the house, as by then I had already made a noise.

Police used to get a report saying there was an intruder about, I once ended up in the back of a Police car, but soon got let go when I showed them the Chinese meals I was trying to deliver lol
 
Naming houses is a ridiculous idea.

On an unrelated note, all of my hammers have names!


Steve.
 
jonbeeza said:
It was a real problem finding numbers / names of houses that had a long drive. I used to either drive up the drive, or park up and walk up the drive, to the front door. It was at times so dark, I had to get really close to the door to try and find a number.
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It's often nearly impossible to find a house a night even if you know its number. Not many actually have their numbers showing and you can't really see those that have whilst driving past.


Steve.
 
Steve Smith said:
It's often nearly impossible to find a house a night even if you know its number. Not many actually have their numbers showing and you can't really see those that have whilst driving past.


Steve.
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Exactly, and just imagine the emergency services, what a nightmare they must have. When I get a little older and infirm, I will make sure my house number is clearly showing. Lit up in both words and numbers, oh and just for good measure I will also give it a name, I will call it Johns House lol
 
My parents house doesn't have a number. Cul-de-sac of 12 houses built in the 20s.

Does cause some confusion for deliveries sometimes! And two houses have added numbers, but its ones they like personally. So there's now No7 immediately adjacent to No10 !!! :D
 
My father in law started unofficially naming his flat Witzend in forms, there was no actual name on the flat though. My parents' first house was a numbered terrace, which was also named 'Bwthyn', but I don't remember anything ever being addressed by name or anyone ever referring to it as such.

The RM databas is a pain in the backside. Our house by Lake Vyrnwy by logic would have been 3 Glyndu, Llanwddyn, POWYS. But no. Because it was an SY10 (Oswestry) postcode, the official address as shown on the database was 3 Glyndu, Oswestry, Shropshire! Wrong county, wrong country even!

Don't even get me started on websites that auto fill wrong! Assuming everyone lives in a city, throwing a wobbler because the address you choose from it's own list doesn't meet the form requirements (usually that there's no street when I don't live on a flaming street!) ...
 
Alan Clogwyn said:
The RM databas is a pain in the backside. Our house by Lake Vyrnwy by logic would have been 3 **** Llanwddyn, POWYS. But no. Because it was an SY10 (Oswestry) postcode, the official address as shown on the database was 3 ****** Oswestry, Shropshire Wrong county, wrong country even!
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Its not just "over there" then.
Milton Keynes by definition is all MK postcodes,
some of the out laying villages also have an MK Post code.
Fair enough, as they are quite close.
Bedford however, also has an MK post code, its 20 miles away, and in Bedfordshire.

MK is actually in Buckinghamshire.
(Although the developers would have you believe its an entity all on its own ;) )



BTW are you happy to have your address on the internet?
 
Cobra said:
BTW are you happy to have your address on the internet?
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I know it wasn't addressed to me, but my address is on the internet in a number of places. Is this a problem?
 
onomatopoeia said:
I know it wasn't addressed to me, but my address is on the internet in a number of places. Is this a problem?
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Some people see it as a problem, others not.
If you are running a business from home then I guess its obligatory.

I'd say personal choice TBH.
But I was just reminding Alan, that he had (Maybe) inadvertently posted his.
 
We missed out on a few houses before we got the one we're in just now so my wife laughing suggested we call it "At Last"! Very bizarrely when we get phone bills from BT the house address is At Last, ** Lyon Avenue - very spooky.
 
Cobra said:
Some people see it as a problem, others not.
If you are running a business from home then I guess its obligatory.

I'd say personal choice TBH.
But I was just reminding Alan, that he had (Maybe) inadvertently posted his.
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It's ok, the debt collectors and Jehovah's witnesses already know where I am!
 
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