To be annoyed my mum says I’m a snob for this

[BrendaBubbles]

It’s relevant to note that I am from a working class background and last year I moved into a flat in an actually “naice” area of the northern town I grew up in. The number of the flat has “A” after it because it was originally the upstairs of a single Edwardian townhouse and the ground floor has the number only.. for example I have 69A and downstairs they have 69.

I thought having the A just looked a bit rubbish and a friend suggested that I could instead give the flat a name and register it with the post office and so on to use it officially. So I went through this rigmarole and my flat is now called something along the lines of Brenda Tower then the road name etc (not exactly that name due to privacy!)

I thought it was quite a fun thing to do but when I told my DM she went berserk and said she was disappointed because she hadn’t brought me up to be so snobby about something like an address and that moving to this part of town has made me into a worse person. I thought she was joking at first but she is really holding me in contempt for it and makes annoying references to how “posh” and “too good” I am at family gatherings and things. Other than having a nice flat in a nice area and giving it my own name, Am I actually being unreasonable?? Lots of people with cottages and things have house names so why can’t my flat?

Your mum was silly but yeah I’ve never heard of a flat with a name it is a bit daft

Sorry I think you are both a bit mad. What is wrong with 69A - and why would you name your flat - how are people going to find you easily?
We had a house name and it was a pain. We now have a number and a house name and I choose not to use the house name - just the number because its easier to find us.

69a = perfectly normal.

Naming a flat = incredibly odd and impractical.

I'm with your mum.

ok so i didnt realise its not even your house

you ll let you register a name your name against their property?

I had no idea the naming or otherwise of a property had such social implications

I think it’s naming it after yourself that’s ….unusual. I’d assume the OP was being tongue in cheek.

And when you move out what happens then

I find it difficult enough to get things delivered to a flat with a number, let alone a flat with a random name.

I think I'd only use a name for a rural cottage.

Not from a style POV, but from a practical POV. I don't really care what you call my home, as long as you bring my deliveries to it.

If you’ve still got the number up
@BrendaBubbles then there is no problem at all. It’s quirky and if it makes you happy then good for you!
It just drives me insane visiting people at home where there are no numbers and there are LOADS of houses like that where I am.

@whynotwhatknot

And when you move out what happens then

The flat keeps the name.. it's not difficult

yes i get that but im sure future tenants wont wont it

@BrendaBubbles

Is the smaller sign in your photo the number?

Yes. My landlord said there was absolutely no way I could get rid of the number entirely but I could add the name. I just don’t use it on Amazon, Ocado, address at the doctors and work and stuff like that but the number still “works” if needed. I’m not sure what happens if ever I move out because it comes up when you search the postcode online now but I’m sure they’ll get over it

Right so I didn't think it was weird to name the flat but what I do think is weird is that you did it on a property you rent!

But it is cute.

I feel like (or maybe assume?) about 75% of people answering have missed the fact you named the flat after YOURSELF (odd that you didn’t put that in the first paragraph but slipped it in very quietly near the very end). That’s entirely different than JUST naming the flat. If I want to suddenly name my flat “The Olde Farm,” maybe totally ridiculous and hilarious, but if I name it, “Sudoku Towers,” yes, that would be about the most Hyacinth Bucket “It’s pronounced ‘Bouquet’” thing I can think of, and I’d feel sorry for the poor bastards who had to live in “Sudoku Towers” after me, and just want the bloody ambulance to be able to find 69A. I don’t know if it’s a posh vs. working class argument, but it’s definitely one of those things where we’re all supposed to pretend it’s a funny joke… but you’re a narcissist. Seriously. You could have named it ANYTHING. Your mother may be OTT, but maybe the reason she’s upset can be explained in why you named a flat after yourself. And there are people ALL over the country living in 69/69A arrangements that don’t “solve” this earth-shattering problem by officially naming a flat after themselves to cause a ton of other people headaches. So… of course it’s odd, OP.

Jeez. I skipped over the bit about it being a rented property. Just ridiculous.

I have a large, fairly old detached house with extensive gardens located on a narrow country lane - and for historic reasons my house number is an 'A'.

When we moved here the place had a ridiculous, pretentious name; although IMO, most house names are pretentious. We occasionally still get mail now addressed to the former owner with that name on it, and have a good old laugh at it.

My first act on moving into the property was to unscrew the name plaque from the wall and unceremoniously chuck it in the bin.

'Posh' or 'not posh' didn't come into it. It's just not my taste, and the UK's pointless and often unpleasant fixation with social 'class' saddens and bores me in equal measure.

I agree with your mum's views, but not her attitude, which absolutely reeks of contempt. These are odd, nasty and deeply unkind personal comments to make to her own daughter.

@whynotwhatknot

yes i get that but im sure future tenants wont wont it

I'm sure they won't give a damn and the other thing is it still has the number, so they could just take the sign down and use only the number. It's really not a big deal at all

But if I moved in, I'd still use the name :D

If you’ve done it as a laugh it is quite funny/ witty. And why not with your own home?

I do agree with others that if you are a posh type/ someone who cares about these things, calling a house or a flat in a street a name is considered naff. I’ve never heard of it for a flat in fact. Should only be for a house on its own that couldn’t be a number. But who cares at the end of the day?

You’re mum’s barking up entirely the wrong tree however.

I live in a 'A' house. It's a whole detached property, but was built in the 1930s on a piece of land once owned by the Gas Board and all the numbers were used up, so it got an 'a'.

It also has a 'name' but we never use it. It's on the council tax bill and assorted other bits. It's perfectly fine to have both and use whichever is handier at the time or indeed have an address like:

Elfycat
Generic house name
99a Road name
Town
County
Postcode.

I always find American addresses amazing. I mean is there really 1170 houses on Road name avenue? Really? I mean how long is that road?

@SudokuWillNotSaveYou no I don't think it is her name is it? She said "my own name" meaning once she had made up I think?

This sounds like your mum’s hang up and possible insecurity rather than you being a snob.

Please tell me you have gone for something totally OTT, and not "Top Floor Flat"

You've named a flat you rent? I'm surprised the landlords allowed that especially considering you've named it after yourself.

It all sounds really odd.

I've only ever lived in houses with names and it's such a pain. My first house was called the Old Bakery and within a miles radius there were a few others such as Bakery Cottage etc and we used to get each others post all the time, I guess at least you shouldn't have that problem.

no I don't think it is her name is it? She said "my own name" meaning once she had made up I think?

OP also said that she named it “Brenda Towers” but not actually that name for privacy reasons. The picture shows that it IS actually called [something] Towers, so putting it all together and given that Brenda is her username I think it’s a pretty safe assumption!

Our (long) road only has numbers at the bottom, the newer houses. At our end they are all 1930s named houses. A number would be a lot easier. What 3 Words is useful when giving directions!

YANBU, it's your flat, call it what you want and do with it what you want.

So the second word is Towers???

Howling Towers
Tumbling Towers
Quivering Towers
Tottering Towers

This is good. It could be a new trend - flat naming. So much potential. Your Mum is just jealous you're riding the style wave of 2021.