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Original poster

Renaming a terrible house name

213 replies

ChristmasCrumpet · 19/08/2023 21:35

Just a bit of a silly one as it may come to nothing, but we've seen a house we like....that's currently aesthetically awful but tonnes of potential.

It's large, detached 3000sqft. Stands in an acre. 16th C but been extended and extended. The outside is covered in mock Tudor beams, painted chocolate brown with a yellow background. We'd take off all the mock diamond lead stuck on the windows, and paint it nicely! It's a big imposing lump, and I like that.

The owners have named it (very similar to) Lance Lodge. It's not a lodge. And Lance is bloody awful.

We'd rename it 'Something' House.

What would you replace 'Something' with? What sounds like a nice, strong, impressive, clean, welcoming name?

I don't like the usual suspects...Crown House. White House. (Although we'd probably paint it mainly white TBF.) Oak House. All are a bit uninspired, one in every village.

I quite like Alexander House, but DH thinks it's just odd to pick a random name, I just think it flows.

Looking for hive mind inspiration!

(I've been looking on Rightmove at house names, there's genuinely one for sale called Chez Wedrewolf. Yes really. And no, I don't like Wedrewolf House Grin)

OP posts:
JohnofOxford · 19/08/2023 22:43

If you go back even fields have names in many areas.
We have live in 2 houses called Holly Lodge. Neither did we choose. A terraced house in Whitechapel!! No idea where the nearest prickly bush was? Probably Epping

IDontLoveTheWayYouLie · 19/08/2023 22:44

Soapyspuds · 19/08/2023 21:49

How about 'CockWomble'? just for lols.

Cockwomble house... beautiful x

ItsCueNotQue · 19/08/2023 22:45

Marmaladesarnie · 19/08/2023 22:27

My house has “something” dene house and I think that sounds good.

Similar would be Rosedene, Thistledene, Ashdene,

Does Foxdene House work...?

SchoolBlazers · 19/08/2023 22:46

Hire a genealogist who will do a house history and pick a family name or some other significant word associated with its past.

Nat6999 · 19/08/2023 22:47

What about something simple like Home Lodge?

Lagershandy · 19/08/2023 22:49

Sorry to derail but we watch a series 'Hometown' where a lovely couple Tom and Erin do up old houses in their hometown in Alabama.
The town is quite small, and the houses are called by the previous owners names i.e. The Smith House the Jones House etc.

I kid you not, one of the homes last week had been owned by a family called Orr............

EducatingArti · 19/08/2023 22:53

ChristmasCrumpet · 19/08/2023 22:21

I do... but Fairfax just makes me go "and Favour"

I can't find much via Google, other than the graves are potentially Roman (Roman House an option, I'm not mad on that) and the old part of the house was originally something to do with the Christian church, mainly a Scottish branch....which is little help because the house is in England.

Show quote history

Boneyard house
Tumba house
Fossor house
Romanus House

IndiganDop · 19/08/2023 22:54

Mum renamed her awfully-named house (rural village, no numbers) after the previous resident who had lived there 40 years. Think "Mary's House".

Any former residents who lived there a particularly long time?

Mirabai · 19/08/2023 22:56

Look on an old ordnance survey map not Google OP. It will have a name.

fdgdfgdfgdfg · 19/08/2023 22:56

ChristmasCrumpet · 19/08/2023 21:59

What can be seen is a tonne of fields, and a metal fabrication unit.

Winter House I also suggested as that's one of DDs middle names, but DH dislikes that too.

Show quote history

There's one by me named "Incinerator View", so I see absolutely nothing wrong with "Big Metal Fabricator View"

ASoapImpressionOfHisWifeWhichHeAte · 19/08/2023 22:58

Hate house names. Just name it it's number!

Angie147836 · 19/08/2023 23:00

Campervangirl · 19/08/2023 21:46

Can you look up its history, maybe rename it after who built it or a family who lived in it?
Did you post that it's 16th century?
If so there'll be loads of history behind it

This.

Or better still, revert to whatever it was called before Lance Lodge.

There will likely be a local history society or county archives which will have some old directories or maps - it probably wouldn't be hard to find out. Have you tried asking the older residents of the village?

It's a crying shame when local distinctiveness and history is lost.

JanieEyre · 19/08/2023 23:01

Think carefully about buying a 16th Century house. The words "money" and "pit" spring to mind.

Jackydaytona · 19/08/2023 23:02

Shangri-la? ;)

ExitThroughTheGiftShop · 19/08/2023 23:04

I think you should pick an existing male name.

Kevin House.

SlightlygrumpyBettyswaitress · 19/08/2023 23:06

Some near us, Armistice Cottage (built 1918 I guess) and Christmas Cottage.

SlightlygrumpyBettyswaitress · 19/08/2023 23:07

Peacehaven House?

blinkbonny · 19/08/2023 23:10

Look up what the house's "what 3 words" ID would be and see if one of the words in that would be appropriate?

Agapornis · 19/08/2023 23:10

Mirabai · 19/08/2023 22:56

Look on an old ordnance survey map not Google OP. It will have a name.

I second this, you don't need a researcher, iirc there are OS maps from the mid 1800s for all of the UK, earlier for some areas. That should tell you the name.

'possibly Roman' sounds a bit wishy washy to me, but how about something over the top/faux like Romulus Retreat? Agrippina Acres? Caesar Chalet? Flavius Folly?

FatBurger · 19/08/2023 23:13

We renamed our house, well technically we reverted back to its original name, but we didn't know that.

I'd wait until you move in. The house will show you it's name. Ours did.

Yfory · 19/08/2023 23:15

I would investigate what its name was origonally and opt for that or a variation of its origonal name.

Moveoverdarlin · 19/08/2023 23:18

I don’t think you should pick a random name, it has to have a bit of significance. I’d completely forgot about Casa Bevron, it reminded me that Jack and Vera Duckworth name their terrace house on Coronation Street ‘The Old Vicarage’.

Using the existing Lance, could you tweak it to…

Lanceford House, Lancingham House, Lancelot House, Lanceman House, Lancebrook House, Lancefox Manor, Lancefield Place, Lord of the Lance, I’ll stop now.

TurkeyHolidayPlanning · 19/08/2023 23:19

Yfory · 19/08/2023 23:15

I would investigate what its name was origonally and opt for that or a variation of its origonal name.

This

EeesandWhizz · 19/08/2023 23:20

ASoapImpressionOfHisWifeWhichHeAte · 19/08/2023 22:58

Hate house names. Just name it it's number!

It doesn't have a number, that's the whole point! Not all houses have numbers - I'll agree that you look a bit of a twit with a named house in a numbered row - but our house doesn't have a number, the road doesn't even have a name, we just have the farm name and the village as the address, as do many, many, others.

And if you're going down the 'Grange' route, it's usually 'The Grange', or it is round here anyway - a lot of villages have them, it's a common farm name which might be odd if it's not a farm.

I think that old electoral rolls will have the previous name of the house on.

LoveHeartsFan · 19/08/2023 23:29

If it’s 16th century, the sales particulars will usually tell you if it’s listed, but if you do buy, do not do anything to this house without first checking its listed status - quite a few people have told you this already.

If listed you will need to obtain listed building consent. Even if not nationally listed it may very well be locally listed or in a conservation area, or it could be listed and in a conservation area.