House has mystery name....can I use it officially?
Discussion
Can you have a house name rather than a house number?
I know you can call your house whatever you want, but is it possible to officially get it named, so instead of bieng 23, Acacia Avenue etc, it become, The House Name, Acacia Avenue.
The reason why I ask is that I have found a hidden secret in my house.
Bit of background.
It was built in 1901 - and my family is only the second family to own it. We acquired it 30 years ago, and now it has been passed to me.
As a Kid, I met the old lady whose dad had it built. She told us all about its history. I know the names of everyone who lived there, even down to the breed of pet dogs they kept. I know it was damaged by a German land mine - losing I thought all of its windows. It has a scar on the stonework, cut in by a steel hawser from a barrage balloon that broke free from the nearby golf course and crashed on our roof and in a tree that stood out the front.
On Friday, we were just going out. My wife was locking up, but called me back from the car. There, in the glass above the door, faint but readable was a name.
It fits as it is a local name. The land the house was built on was owned by the local duke. It is a Victorian/Edwardian estate of houses and I have noticed one or two have local names above the doors. With the German land mine doing its worst I guess most of the houses in the area lost their windows - and when replaced no-one re-instated the old names.
It seems our window survived and the lettering – which I suppose was in gold leaf, peeled and was eventually taken off.
What neither of us can work out is how we missed this for so many years. My Dad loved the house, and knew every detail about it – but he failed to spot this. It was probably a trick of the light – it was dusk with a light behind that revealed the name. I looked the next day, and could not see it.
We are very fond of the house and feel we are just custodians rather than owners. We have spent a lot of money restoring it to its former glory, and putting its original name back would be a fitting end to the project.
So, can I get the house officially named, so I can use it in the address?
dxg said:
I'll just leave this here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iOePiEtM_U
Thanks for that. Fascinating. I actually have an internal vestibule door and screen in period glass like that chap makes, sand blasted or etched, I am not sure which.My wife reckons she will be able to trace at least some of the "Coquet House" script so we can get someone to replicate the font in Gold leaf or something similar. A few houses around apoear to have local names in the fanlights, so it might be worth finding out if they are original.
In addition, I have contacted the estate who owned the land and who apoarently dictated the house style and design. They think they may have information on the property.
Exciting stuff.
Gosh that was a year and a bit ago!
I've don't nothing about it but according to my neighbour who has lived here since 1955, not all the houses had names. As far as she knows the names were never anything more than unofficial.
Indeed looking at old electoral rolls, the houses have always been numbered.
It's just a name I'll use for fun I think. My name, house name, number, street, town, postcode.
I've don't nothing about it but according to my neighbour who has lived here since 1955, not all the houses had names. As far as she knows the names were never anything more than unofficial.
Indeed looking at old electoral rolls, the houses have always been numbered.
It's just a name I'll use for fun I think. My name, house name, number, street, town, postcode.
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