This cottage [camera pans to almost mansion sized house] is priced at £450,000

[KievLoverTwo]

I'm very confused about what seems to constitute a cottage in our country. Before I moved to the countryside, I perceived a cottage to be a small, somewhat twee looking, chocolate box, small house, possibly with a thatched roof. The sort of house Miss Marple lived in.

But I increasingly see homes listed as cottages when I am property hunting that don't fit my pre-conceived notions of what a cottage is, in any form.

Examples:

This just looks like a big-arse house to me:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/136417256#/?channel=RES_BUY

As does this:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/141243596#/?channel=RES_BUY

This one's called Holly Cottage. I would call it a house:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/136944203#/?channel=RES_BUY

On this morning's escape to the country, she was showing a couple a vast, detached house. This thing was three stories high and looked as though it was 4,000 square ft or bigger. The kitchen/diner in it was at least 30ft by 30ft.

So, how is this a cottage and not just a massive detached house?

Why is my impression of what a cottage so terribly wrong?

This is the first result that I can find (that doesn't resemble Miss Marple's house) that is more in keeping with what I would expect to see when someone says 'cottage'

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/141873827#/?channel=RES_BUY

Someone has called this a cottage, but surely it's a bungalow:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/86335740#/?channel=RES_BUY

COTTAGE FOUND!!!

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/86559252#/?channel=RES_BUY

Help me out here, folks?

I think the episode made me irrationally angry :)

I also think that I may perceive a cottage to be quite squished in terms of ceiling heights, and generally quite old.

Idk why.

Some of those have just been named by the owner though and are not really cottages.

The ones described as cottages are, I would say, although often with newer extensions on.

The row with the terrace one was probably workers cottages so think that's accurate.

Suspect am too involved in your OP!
I know what you mean but think the issue is with people naming their houses wrongly!

I 'd happily call the first a cottage. The second and third are houses, with the latter looking like an ex council house (not that there's anything wrong with that, but I think that alone excludes it from being a cottage). The fourth is a cottage, the bungalow is a bungalow, or chalet bungalow, and the one in Hutton Le Hole is also a cottage. So I make that 3 out of 6 as cottages:)

I know what you mean OP, Kate and William’s house is called Adelaide Cottage and Harry and Meghan’s Frogmore Cottage! They are anything but cottages!

A cottage, during England's feudal period, was the holding by a cottager of a small house with enough garden to feed a family and in return for the cottage, the cottager had to provide some form of service to the manorial lord. However, in time cottage just became the general term for a small house.
Credit Wikipedia

You are absolutely right @KievLoverTwo

I live in a proper cottage - any old house in a village is not a cottage.

Mine is thatched, compact, and has very low ceilings.

Attached is ours

I agree with you OP, not only on every single link but in general.

My biggest bugbear atm is bungalows that have had the attic turned into extra bedrooms and ensuite. It is no longer a bungalow!!!!! Ahhhhhhh!!!!!

Frogmore cottage:

https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/618949c477b9da749dd4a3f8/master/w_1600,c_limit/shutterstock_editorial_764923k_huge.jpg

GET OUT OF TOWN!!!

Hurrah, actual cottage!

And you have an adorable home <3

Yeah, that sort of bugs me too. Apparently you have to enter 'authentic bungalow' or something like that into keywords on Rightmove if you want one that hasn't been converted.

SMALL, see?

Some of these 'cottages' are absolutely vast and could house three generations of a family :(

(thank you)

That first one clearly was originally a cottage, and has been substantially extended over the years. That one I can forgive.

Some of the others - nope. I wouldn't be able to put my finger on the exact definition of 'cottage' but I live on the edge of a small town in a fairly rural area so know one when I see one.

I always think it depends on the staircase if something feels cottagey or not. Those ones with the low ceilings and probably a staircase squished in somewhere are cottages ( in my. Mind). The higher/normal height ceilings and wide/normal staircase off the hall are not.

Is it shorthand for small rooms, weird layouts and some dodgy decor/room dressings.

I guess it's all location, location, location for those you've linked as the price tags are extortionate.

If an average height person isn't at risk of braining themselves on a beam / doorway, it's not a cottage. /gavel 🤣

1 and 3 are definitely low ceilinged. I am not sure about 2 . It may have been called that historically .
Beautiful @AlltheFs . I have PMd you .

Oh thank you, I was MYSTIFIED yesterday at a bungalow that had obvious stairs and two floors, thought I was going nuts! That explains it. 😄

I started off with no price band and it was bringing up country estates with cottages included.

I dropped it to 500k because I know North Yorkshire is bloody expensive for period properties (but also has many of them) - I'm currently lusting after one slightly cheaper than those listed above.

Idk what GENUINE cottage prices look like in the rest of the country, to be honest.

Be fair that's a picture of Frogmore House not Frogmore Cottage.

https://www.rct.uk/visit/frogmore-house

However Frogmore Cottage would also be Not A Cottage as it apparently has 4 beds and 4 bathrooms.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frogmore_Cottage

Although to someone living in Frogmore House, that probably does sound like a cottage.

And here was me thinking and feeling sorry for H&M being in a tiny cottage!

Years ago DM and stepdad along with me viewed a cottage to buy (we were kind of keen on it but it was middle of fields and countryside) no thatch and 2 levels but definitely cottage looking, rather than eg farmhouse.

Not linking as location outing but there are workers cottages (technically mine is one but it’s bigger) for sale where I live. Horrifically overpriced now.

In our area which is very cottagey (Rutland) a 3 bed cottage would be £400-650k, 2 beds £250-450k depending on size and location.

Ours would sell now (we bought for less but lots of renovations) for around £525k.

The royal cottages are small compared to the castles and palaces they are in the grounds of.

Isn't Rutland the most expensive county in the country? Because there are so few people and, I guess, so few houses?

@AlltheFs omg that's lovely. I'm very jealous

No definitely not the most expensive- it’s not cheap but way cheaper than a lot of the UK.
Much more expensive than Leicestershire and Lincolnshire but nothing like the South East.
It is the smallest though. And very unspoilt.