Almost everybody in Britain dreams of living in a detached house, that is a house which is a separate building. The saying “An Englishman’s house is his castle” is well-known. It illustrates the desire for privacy and the importance attached to ownership which seem no be at the heart of the British attitude to housing.
A large, detached house not only ensures privacy. It is also a status symbol. At the extreme end of the scale there is the aristocratic “stately home” set in acres of garden. Of course, such a house is an unrealistic dream for most people. But even a small detached house, surrounded by garden, gives the required suggestion of rural life which is dear to the hearts of many British people. Most people would be happy to live in a cottage, and if this is a thatched cottage, so much the better.
Most people try to avoid living in blocks of flats. Flats, they feel provide the least amount of privacy. With few exceptions, mostly in certain locations of central London, flats are the cheapest kind of home.
The most desirable home: a detached house
Notice:
● the “traditional” building materials of brick (the walls) and slate (the roof);
● the irregular, “non-classical” shape, with all those little corners making the house fell “cozy”;
● the suggestion of a large front garden with a tree and bushes, evoking not only the countryside, but also giving greater privacy;
● that the garage is hidden discretely away and doesn’t spoil the rural feeling;
● that the front door is not even in the picture (the privacy criterion at work again).
Second-best: a semi-detached
Unless they are located in the remotest parts of the country, detached houses are too expensive for most people. So this is what a very large proportion of people live in: one building with two separate households. Each house is the mirror of the other, inside and out. These house can be found, street after street, in the suburbs of cities and the outskirts of towns all aver Britain. Notice the separate front garden for each house. At the sides, there is access to the back, where will also be two gardens. The most common building material is brick. The typical semi-detached house has 2 floors and 3 bedrooms.
Less desirable: a terraced house
This kind of house usually has no way through the back except through the house itself. Each house in the row is joined to the next one. Houses at the end of the row are a bit more desirable – they are most like a semi-detached. They usually have 2 floors with 2 bedrooms upstairs. Some have gardens back and front, others only at the back and others no garden at all. Before the 1960s, Britain had millions of terraced houses, most with no inside toilet or bathroom.
The least desirable: a flat
Not having a separate entrance to the outside world does not suit British tastes. Although it is densely populated, Britain has the second lowest proportion of flat-dwellers in the EU (the lowest of all is in Ireland).
An exception: the town house
These houses, which can be found in the inner areas of most cities, are an exception to the general pattern. There is great variety regarding both design and use. They only have 3 or more floors, perhaps including a basement or semi-basement. Although they are usually terraced, those that are well-preserved and in a “good” area may be thought highly desirable. Many have been broken into flats or rooms for rent. Sometimes, they are “self-contained flats (they have washing and cooking facilities and it is not necessary to walk through anybody else’s flat to get to your own). Sometimes, they are “bedsits” (e.g. bed-sitting rooms; residents have 1 room to themselves and share washing and cooking facilities with other residents).