Round the Houses

I have long held a bit of an obsession with houses, and both the inside and outside aesthetics of domestic living arrangements fascinate me. The idea of creating a happy nest inside a pile of bricks and mortar intrigues me very much and I love to see how different people choose to decorate and furnish their homes.

My creative interest in houses/homes is mainly to do with the interiors, but at the same time I do love a good nosey around the outer periphery too - in short, I am a nosey so-and-so and I find home life in all it's shapes and forms fascinating. I like looking at different styles of front doors and windows and I love seeing what folk do with their little patches of front garden. I like to see flower pots and window boxes and little gates and washing lines...

...oh yes, I love washing lines so much! There is something so comforting and humble about a string of clean clothes drying in the open air. Usually laundry-drying is strictly a back garden activity, but here in my town many of the houses don't actually have back gardens. So it's not uncommon to see washing lines strung across back yards and back cobbled streets, making use of any available space.

The town where I live is old (like really old) and is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. It has heaps of old buildings (including a 900 year old castle) but what I'm sharing today is the simple terraced housing. These house were built for the families who worked in the many textile mills that sprang up during the Industrial Revolution.

There are lots of these houses across town, row upon row upon row of them. They have front doors opening out onto the pavements......

...but there is also a network of old cobbled back streets running behind every terrace. These back streets are wide enough for cars to drive down, but mostly they are used by pedestrians and give access into the little back yards behind each house.

These back yards are small but precious and many folk go to some effort to create little gardens in their tiny outdoor spaces. Often the back yard also contains an old "outhouse" which would have contained a simple toilet in Victorian times.

I really love these old cobbled back streets, they are more than one hundred years old, isn't that a teesny bit wonderful?

The thing about these rows of terraced houses is that they aren't just houses. They represent communities of families living in pretty close proximity to their neighbours - it's a friendly way to live for sure.

You don't always have a great deal of privacy, but the feeling of security and homely comfort that surrounds daily life is priceless. Sometimes I miss not having a bigger outdoor space and sometimes I miss not having a green, open outlook. Our view is the mellow colour of Yorkshire stone walls, we are surrounded by them on all sides.

I admit it took me a while to get used to living this way. We moved from a detached house on a small, quiet cul-de-sac where privacy was everything and where neighbours kept themselves to themselves. You generally said a polite "hello" in passing, but that was pretty much it.

Living in a terraced house (especially a Yorkshire terraced house), you really get to know your neighbours. These folk love nothing more than to stop and chat, socialise, make friends, and you become a part of the community very quickly. You get absorbed into the street you live on and become a true part of it.

After seven years of terraced street living, I can tell you that it's pretty great.

I would love to hear about where you live, any other terrace-dwellers out there?

Do you have a garden, land, a view? Do you know your neighbours?

Do you love where you live or aspire to something different?

Let's talk homey stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Comments

[Sharon Gibson]

Hi Lucy, visited Skipton last weekend via the train, great town, so pretty. I live in North Yorkshire in a small village. My cottage is a converted barn where my dad used to milk his tiny herd of cows when I was a child. I used to sit on my favourite cow and pretend I was riding a horse. The cottage is long and thin with pretty gardens complete with clothesline, the bedding smelt wonderful when I brought in off the line. Love your blog, thank you. Sharon x

[Fiona]

Thank you, Lucy, for all you are doing to spread colour and happiness, through your colourful crochet, kind words, and beautiful photographs. I have just taught myself to crochet, and have made your jolly chunky bag. I bought the wool from your inline shop. Fab!

I live in a Victorian vicarage, with high ceilings, large rooms, picture rails and open fire places. My family loves nothing more than to cosy up in front of an open fire, with good books, pots of tea, and for the girls, baskets of wool. We love the oldness, but warm it up with bits of nature from our large and rather unruly vicarage garden, as well as with the crocheted accessories I am slowly learning to make.

Thank you for colouring my world, and for reminding us all of the value of community. There is too much loneliness in this world.....

[Delfina]

I live in a little Mafra, Portugal, in a large 3 rooms house, with my husband, 2 sons, 4 dogs, 1 cat, 3 chickens, 1 parakeet and losts of fish in a big aquarium. I have a 19ft garden so I can grow my own vegetables,I have fruit trees and a little lake. But I love to live the house, indoors, keep it cousy, I'd like to be much more organized. Love your blog, Now you're starting to make me wondering what will you be posting next monday, that was my though yesterday. Take care.

[Krystol]

Hi Lucy!

I live in the US, in the very northernmost tip of California, on the coast. We are enveloped by beautiful Redwood trees and are bordered by the ocean, so the natural loveliness around us sometimes simmers into familiarity. Thankfully, there are splendorous moments that still manage to wake us up to the reality of what surrounds us. Our family home is situated on one acre in fairly rural country, with Redwoods on site as well. Our neighbors tend to keep to themselves, though we do chat from time to time - nothing like your experience in terraced homes. I tend to prefer the quiet and the privacy. The closest to "friendly" living I've ever come is living in an apartment when I was going to college. That was nearly communal, and it was NOT for me. ;)

Love your blog, and I love reading about where you live!

[Linda Sikkema]

I live in Canada. I grew up in a town of 13,000 almost as far South as you can live in Canada. I now live on a farm in Bruce County four hours drive North of where I grew up. I love the privacy. Five of our nine kids live at home and its great to have room for them. We have to drive everywhere, but even when I lived in town I used to drive to a nearby city to shop and go out with friends. We live on a hill and have beautiful views all around. We also live near Lake Huron and Georgian Bay and have a lot of tourists around in the summer. We are also near the Niagara Escarpment which runs from Niagara Falls to Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula. My older kids love to hike the Bruce Trail which covers the whole length of the Escarpment.
Loved hearing about where you live. My maiden name is Rothery and I've been told my great-grandparents came from Yorkshire. Thanks, Linda S.

[Gillian]

I was brought up in terrace houses and loved it. I now live out in the country in a detached bungalow with a big garden. There are fields round us before the closest neighbours. We are friendly with the neighbours but wouldn't see them every day.

[Tara Midgley]

We bought our first home 18 months ago. A detached house, but on a small plot of land. Our neighbours are a friendly bunch and the lady on one side particularly so. Cupcakes and other treats are frequently exchanged!

You must read (if you haven't alreday) Bill Bryson's "At Home: A history of Private Life". It's wonderful!

[PixieMum]

Need to clarify my post about meeting people in our friendly High Street - what I was trying to say is it is rare not to meet some one we know or recognise.

DH has just gone out to collect the newspaper, wonder how many acquaintances he will meet?

[PixieMum]

DH and I live in a four bed semi detached 1934 house in a SW London suburban village. We are five minutes from a good railway line, 25 minutes to Waterloo, the station has its own cat, Brian, and we have a proper High Street with not too many chain stores.
There is a very good village atmosphere, helped by social media, we find we rarely don't meet someone we know or recognise when we go to collect our newspaper each day.

We have about 40 foot of garden, the back is fantastic thanks to DH, looks like a show garden, the front garden has space on a drive for one car, the garage is too small for modern cars but we won't pave over the grass and flowers.

We have excellent neighbours living in the other half of our semi, the previous owner introduced us to them before she agreed to sell to them. Really kind of her, she was offered more money by another buyer but rejected it as she felt those buyers wouldn't be right for us. Really kind as the houses don't have thick walls so any noise does carry.

[Kat]

Sooo interesting! And I can definately see the appeal of the kind of housing pictured here, especially in light of the open spaces that you have access to, and all share. There is less obsession with privacy, and more attention paid to cooperation and community wellness. I miss what I perceive as your conveniences, such as walking everywhere instead of having to drive many miles.

My situation is very different. We literally carved out our home site of 20 acres from the woods, and have many wooded areas mixed now with wider open meadows and an orchard, veg garden and chickens. We are still grooming, and probably always will be.

We have no near neighbors, and cannot see a home from our home. The nearest neighbor is over 1/2 a mile from us - but we do know everyone around. My husband and I both serve on the community volunteer fire department - he on the board and I as treasurer/secretary.

Oh, and I do have a clothes line. There is nothing better than bedding that has been dried in the Sun and the wind of Oklahoma.

[Suzan]

Hello Lucy,

I will try to describe our home. We live in south-east Queensland, Australia. Our home is dark brick and is a three bedroom bungalow style home. It was built in the 1970's and by recent standards is small and has one bathroom. Unusually we have a completely seperate garage that was built for two cars. It has two small rooms and an extra loo. Over the years the area has been completely built in. Sometime this year i would like reclaim that space that has been filled with junk as it is around 900 square feet. One side of the home is pebbled and is the drive way, There is an additional covered parking area. We then have a small back yard with a rotary hoist and a front yard too. Our area was very rural but time has caught up and new housing developments stand where the precious market gardens were.

[Annie C]

I live in a newer house with a small backyard and smaller front yard. I made the front yard all plants with no grass to cut and add plants to it each years. It is a new development on the edge of my university town. The town has two rivers running through it and many nature trails to walk along. For me, its an economical thing, an older home which I would adore to live in, could be costly to repair and upkeep, so I've always gravitated to new homes. The house is 11 years old now with hardwood floors and ceramic tiles in the kitchen. The colours are muted and earthy. Sage green walls on the main floor with honey coloured hardwood, an off white sofa and one blue chair. My artwork is mostly seaside and forest scenes done in water colours. The rooms are bright and airy in the spring and summer. Because of the new development, the trees are still rather small. When I need my 'big tree fix' I can head into town and walk the streets under the canopy of trees and admire the neat gardens and old houses with gingerbread trim.

I see Tory, who posted on the 2nd May, misses the smell of fresh laundry drying outside. That is such a wonderful childhood memory for me too. I did the same when my children were growing up. There is nothing like the smell of fresh laundry. Sadly, the province decided that there should be no clothes lines and no television towers on properties. Likely the stupidest rule they've come up with. My son in law just says, "try and stop me".

You know Lucy, whenever I look at your pictures and all the wonderfully colourful things that you have added to your home, I smile. It's such a happy place and so well suited to your surroundings. Thank you for making my day a little brighter.

[Phyl]

Hi Lucy,
I always follow your blog but only comment occasionally.
Love your post about your home and hometown, thank you for sharing😀
Want to share with you a little about my place which is a lovely rented cottage, close to Loch Lomond in Scotland with beautiful views of the fields and hills. I saw the arrival of new born lambs in recent weeks, and recently when we had a light snow fall, the hills covered in a dusting that transformed them from the day before when sunny and equally beautiful.
I am a homey girl, my wood burner is a delight, and I take great pleasure every day in a 10 minute forage In the local woods for my kindling,arriving home with my carrier bag of sticks always gives me a sense of satisfaction.
Lighting my candles in the evening when the day is dimming, flicking through Country Living and enjoying my home with the stunning views is a pleasure that keep me sane at the end of a busy, working day.
Weekends are enjoyed with a drive into the local villages for errands, a coffee in the lovely local coffee shop run by 3 sisters whose
baking in to die for, a table at the window in this delightful cafe, again , more rolling fields and new born lambs frolicking and finding their feet.
Yes, like you, I love my surroundings - and have had great pleasure in reading the other bloggers stories too. Thank you xx

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[JO]

Hi Lucy, I live in a village in Somerset. I rent my cottage so can't alter stuff with paint or wallpaper but I get by fine. My cottage is next to a busy main road but it doesn't feel like after living here for a while. My garden is basically a small patio area next to the gravel drive with 3 smallish borders full of cottage garden plants. My neighbours garden is huge so I sit and watch her gardening away some days. I have views of the fields and hills as well which are lovely.
Jo xxx

[michaea]

dear lucy,
i'm living in the south of germany, in a small town with 4000 inhabitants, a tiny castle with a tiny lake.it's in the countryside with a good traffic connection to bigger towns. my 2-room-flat is in a former boardinghouse with three neighbours. we've got a lovely garden with a big cherry tree, apple trees. the work will be made by the caretaker and we harvest the fruits :)
my cousin calls the flat the "treehouse", it's in the first floor, and in fact if you're looking outside, you see trees all around, oak and birch trees and so many more. i love my home and sice i'm reading your wonderful blog, i'm so inspired to keep it neat and decorated, my two balconies as well.
and since yesterday - tadah!!! my cottage ripple blanket has been finished. slept the first night under it - georgeous. i made it same as yours with one exception, the border is 7 rows, not only 3. looks lovely too, and i'll order new wool soon, for my friends 50th birthday in september :))
thank you so much for being so inspiring
warmest regards michaela

[Michelle]

I live in a very small 'village' in Israel. There are only houses here. No apartments. Also no shops at all although we are a few minutes drive from a little shopping center and a few more minutes to a town. The yards are not big and after a severe drought and water restrictions a few years ago, lots of people got rid of their lawns and concreted off the whole garden. There are detached and semi detached and also row houses. It is half an hour away from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and although the place is not for everybody, I love the peace and quiet. We have a primary school but the bigger kids have buses to take them to their schools. The public transport is not good and a car is a necessity! not a luxury.

[josie77]

hello and thanks for sharing these parts of your life! i'm living in france (so my english may not be really clear :); i used to live a kind of neighbour life when i was in appartment, we were 2 or 3 mates dining together, having coffee, brunch at any time! But now that i'm settled, we keep for ourselves! indeed, i can't invite much people because the house is not finished (hubby dear wants to do everything by himself); so somedays life feels boring :) reading your post made feel better today and i envy you because i love your backyard!!!!!

[Ki]

Thanks for sharing your wonderful blog & photos Lucy. I live in Jersey (Channel Islands) in a parish on the East Coast. Our house used to be a fishermans cottage but has been extended over the years by previous owners. I love being able to walk to the village & beach with my 3 children & dog. It's a very pretty parish with lots of greenery & a beautiful castle. I enjoy bumping into people for a chat & friendly wave along the way. We popped up your way last August to visit friends in Knaresborough for a week, we loved your neck of the woods, the scenery was stunning & the people so friendly. We hired a pretty canal boat from Pennine Cruisers at Skipton, what a fab time we had! x

[Laura M]

Hi Lucy, I live with my husband and 5 little ones and the spaniel, in Hamilton New Zealand. Like you I can't get enough of nosey-ing at people's homes and tonight is my fav programme with Kirsty and Phil..... we built our home last year when we began to burst out of our previous home. It's cottage style and in a subdivision so we have a small garden but are opposite a large reserve with cows and pukeko birds. We have neighbours pretty close but we have planted 5 trees in the yard to hope for some feeling of privacy in the years to come. i have roses, buxus hedging, hydrangeas and lavenders all in the early stages but hope in years to come my garden will be cottage and homely. It's a noisy but wonderful life with five kids and there is no better place than in front of the fire with a my hook and yarn, knowing my family are all safe and happy at home with me. I've loved reading about others homes, just wish we could see photos!!! Xx

[Janet Tweedie]

Your view is so quaint and beautiful, and I love all the photos and thoughts that you share with us. I was raised in a fairly large city - or the suburbs of a large city - in the Midwestern US: St. Louis, Missouri. I married my husband and settled in his hometown about 2 hours away from where I grew up. It's a smallish town of approx. 18,000 people. We live just past the city limits in a subdivision of sorts, in a house on 4 acres. We "need" the space, however, as my husband has a healthy interest/hobby in restoring old cars, so our detached garage is 3600 sq. feet - bigger than our house! The house started out at 1800 sq. feet, but after 3 children and 2 additions, we are up to 3400 sq. feet of living space, STILL not as much space as the garage! Nonetheless, it gives me quite a bit of leverage if he starts to complain that my yarn "collection" is taking up too much room :) We do grow a garden some years, and it's nice to have the space, but it requires a lot of mowing. We are surrounded by farmland, horses, cows, and even a few chickens and buffalo down the road. As you remarked in your post, we all do keep much to ourselves. The best shopping is in the city, which takes some getting used to. However, I go home to see my parents often, so I just try to plan shopping around those trips. Moving to a town this small does take some getting used to. I DON'T like to have so many people knowing too much of my life or my children's' lives, and it's unavoidable in this town. They are also partial to their own here, and can be quite cliquish. But, I've been here almost 20 years now. I'd love to move. I miss the anonymity of the city, and the convenience, but I have found that now, when I visit the city, I grow tired rather quickly of the "rat race": the traffic and hustle and bustle. I suppose the grass is always greener… My children are 16, 14 and 10, and I wouldn't think of uprooting them at this point in their lives, so here we will stay. The hubs and I have hopes to retire somewhere WARM and sunny, perhaps Florida or California.
Thank you for sharing your part of the world with us. It looks so lovely and peaceful xxx

[Heather]

I love your view of Yorkshire.its everything quiet, friendly and we all yearn for.
To be satisfied with a smaller place and not obsesión with big, bold and Brasil is something many could learn from. Thanks for being real Lucy x

[Joan]

I live in Georgia in the U.S. I live in a housing development in the far reaches of the suburbs of Chattanooga, TN. Chattanooga used to be a very industrial city and this area had LOTS of carpet mills. It's very hilly around here with lots of trees. The development I live in is built on a big hill (really more of a ridge) and there are a lot of trees at the back of the lots. Most of our neighbors moved in the same time we did, about 9 years ago, right after the development was built. We've met almost all of them and are fairly good friends with the next door neighbors on one side. It's beautiful around here, but I envy your being able to walk everywhere. Having two cars isn't really optional living this far out from things.

I love seeing pictures of your town and your vacation pictures. I also love seeing the pictures of the canal boats. We don't have anything like that around here. I love seeing how people in different places around the world live.

[Penny Rongo]

I loved your blog about your neighborhood and homes that surround you. I love all things Yorkshire, England. James Herriot country. I love all things British.
I live on Roanoke Island, NC. USA. It is the home of the lost colony and the birthplace of the first English born settler in the new world. Her name was Virginia Dare.

[Gemma Blackwell]

Hi Lucy,
We're so alike! I'm obsessed with houses & drive my partner mad when we drive through a new place & I go into my fantasy world which starts out with "imagine living here", then I'm away! We live in a 1970's bungalow which we've fully renovated. Our bungalow is in a small & very rural village in North Herefordshire, we know most of our neighbours & my toddler & I regularly drop in on our elderly neighbours for a cuppa & a chat. It's the first time I've lived in the countryside & I love it but we have dreamt of living on the South West Coast for years, we may have the opportunity to move in a year or so & bring up our daughter by the sea which would just be fantastic but until then I love sitting with our daughter in her bedroom waving night night to the Herefordshire cattle that live in the field opposite us.
I absolutely love your blog, your crochet & your style, thank you for taking the time to share with us.
Gemma x

[Clare]

in my second year of university i lived in the hyde park area of leeds. it was definitely a friendly atmosphere (albeit students mostly) but not for me, i need the green space to make me happy! third year i moved in with my now-husband to a 2 bedroomed 1930s ex council semi detached backing onto a horse field and it was nowhere near as friendly an area, we spoke to the neighbours on one side and that was it.

Since moving down south we are now in a late 60s semi and actively socialise with the neighbours from my husband going out with two of the men across the road every week to me doing an excercise class with one of their wives, bbqs and parties are fairly common and the neighbours on either side are both widows and always up for a chat! i can honestly say this is my favourite place to life since moving out of my parents house... oh and we have a LOT of greenery and fields!