House names - nice or naff?

You don't have a lot of luck with me/my postings do you ?

I was just agreeing with EE, then remembered my parents always used a house name when we were younger. I think it was more about territory marking though as we were always moving between bland forces quarters every couple of years, so putting the name up made it feel more like home. Given that any interior decorating / holes from putting pictures up etc would have to be rectified before we moved out, I think it was their one chance to rebel. They only used the name in the address when giving it out to friends though.

We dont have a name plaque as such, we have massive and very old, stone pillars on each side of the drive way down to the house, with the name on one of them.

Now imagine if everybody had that outside their newbuild instead of a name plaque! ?

I suspect I just can't read ?

There's a complete nobber who lives on my ex's small, 1980's estate who recently decided to name his numbered house 'Corbiere', presumably because he thinks it goes with his surname, which is Corbett. As this guy has been a pain in the backside to my ex for ages for various different reasons, it did cross his mind at the time of the naming to go around with a concerned look on this face and ask the neighbour if he realised he'd actually named his house 'hearse' in French. He hadn't - the word for hearse is corbillard - but as my ex is French, it's near enough and this guy is a real dimwit, we thought he'd probably fall for it ?

We have a house name and I hate it (the actual name rather than having a name, IYSWIM) but we aren't allowed to change it without filling in a hundred forms and paying a small fortune in meals to the local mayor.

We live in a 1930's built house, there was 4 houses which was built by the same person, he gave 2 houses to his son's the 3rd son did not want his. He sold that one and rented the 4th. He named all the houses when they where built. We only found out it was named when we requested planning etc, the official paperwork from the council always shows the house name ie council tax etc. We don't actually use it on forms or anything as there is never any room! But at christmas we bought a name plaque and new house no plaque to match. So the house name is on one side of the door and the no on the other.

Some one might actually be able to help with this the house name is Sylvacree we have tried to research it but do not know what it means.

Over the easter break this year, we where turfing the new lawn at the front. A lady stopped and spoke to me and h2b she was the grandaughter of the man who built the houses and told us which one she lived and also the other 3 names. It was really interesting speaking to her, I think one was Fernlea but can not remember Glencoe and and another name of 2 persons joined together. She said it was really nice that we had put it up, her grandad would have been pleased.

We have a housename, but then this house has never had a number. Not many of the houses over here do have numbers unless it's a new build (as in last 10 years or so) or a State's house. Our last house had a number but we gave it a name instead ? However it was only an old street of about 10 terraced houses which were about 100 years old!

There's a(v. modern) house near my parents with a concreted over front-garden called Dundiggin which made me chuckle, naff though it is.

I grew up in a Victorian terrace called Fairhaven but that was known as its number by RM etc. Every house on the street had a name but AFAIK they weren't used officially. Next door was Colynso which I have absolutely no clue about!

An old family friend called their house Macraiglyn after their 3 kids; Matthew, Craig & Lyndsay. <vom>

We have a modern house on the mainland, the previous owners gave it a name.. we removed it as soon as we signed the papers and went back to the number only.. I do agree old houses with names is lovely but not newbies, just not good imo.. My PIL's neighbours have a classic, they have about 4 kids and its the first letters of their first and middle names all in a line, its impossible to pronouce never mind spell.

Its even worse here as everyone seems to have gaelic spelt ones and all share about the 5 names in total.. we did get a letter the other day addressed to our surname only and the village only.. I thought it was quite impressive that it had made it to us but when opening it, found it to be for a boat with the name and was payment for 13 lobsters.. The woman was mortified that she had posted it when I called to ask if she wanted it back!

Most of the houses in our village have names instead of numbers - we have both, but the house name predates us by a long time. I never use the name myself, it's just a hassle.

There are at least 3 houses with those dreadful combi-names like Lounald (Louisa and reginald), all owned by members of the same family ?.

My mum and stepdad have named their house Stranmillis (Sweet Stream in Irish Gaelic), sa that's the road in Belfast my mum grew up on, but they don;t use it officially, they just have a sign up by the door.

Before she moved, my Mum was going to stick a plaque up with the name 'Heath House' on it, and start using it as part of her address. When I researched the history of the house, this is what it used to be called (about 100 years ago).

This would hopefully help the dimwitted postman to stop posting letters to 1 (the number of our house), 1a (next door), 1 Ashbourne House (block of flats on our road), 10 (same road), 1 Winchester Court (another block of flats), and Flat 1, 86 Anglesea Road (similar looking building at opposite end of road)... all through my Mum's letterbox.

She took the easy option though, and just sold up instead. ?

My grandparents did this with their three son's names. Their house (which was a new build 20years ago...) is called something like Damikerob.

*tangent* My parents live in the landlocked Midlands. There was a new estate built a few years back and the developers ran a competition for the local schools to name a road. They pulled 6 suggestions from a hat then the children all voted for their favourite. And so, Seagull Bay View was created. It makes me laugh whenever I see it. *tangent*

OST - a bit like "The Lighthouse" in Dawley I guesswhich apparently was also named with a public competition.

As far as we know there are are no rivers, streams or brooks close to our house however just after we moved in we started getting lots of official mail addressed to "The Waterfront" 66 Acacia Avenue. So far we've still not quite worked out why it's called The Waterfront, OST and other hitchers who've been here will agree it seems a bit odd for a semi with no water nearby so we never use it. Hopefully there won't ever turn out to be a culvert running through the garden...