How Are Houses Numbered - How Do You Number A House On A Street ?

Posted by Staff Author on

 

You might not ever give it much thought, but if you step back and take a look at the house numbers on the street where you live; you may wonder just how the numbering system works.

Whilst it is something that we, as people, just get used to over time, for those who are new to the UK, who are just visiting, or who simply think about it more than they normally would then the house numbering system is quite a strange and complex one.

 

The housing system and why it is put in place

That said, when you look at the system in its most basic form, the buildings on the street are numbered in sequential order (or lowest to highest). However, the odd numbered houses are on one side and the evens are on the other.

The reason that this system was created is due to the postal system. It was decided that it made more sense to have all the evens on one side and all the odds on the other, saving the need for the post man to cross over the road in order to make sure that everything gets delivered. 

Here is where it gets complicated

This works for most streets, however, there are always going to be things that are going to throw the numbering system out of whack. Especially when it comes to how the odd and the even numbered houses actually relate to one another.

You may find that houses on the street have different plot sizes; which means that whilst one side of the street goes up in its numbers quite quickly, the other side of the street doesn’t actually follow suit. That means you can’t expect to see number 1, 3 and 5 opposite 2, 4 and 6.

You can also find that any junctions on the street (which are not found on the other side at the same size) will make the odd an even numbers appear to be out of sync. This is because they will often take up the space of several houses.

Another way that the house numbering system can get confused is if you have small footways or hidden parts where there are houses that you may not even realise are tucked away. You can also find that halfway down a road, the numbers start all over again, throwing you completely off the scent of where you were originally looking.

This is because, without you even realising, the street has changed into another and therefore, the numbers have to start again to reflect this.

No matter whether you have got to grips with the house numbering system or not; you can still treat yourself to a great house number display. This will make sure that even if visitors don’t understand how your street is numbered, they will at least be able to make sure that they find the house that they are looking for.

house number 63

Share this post



Newer Post →