英国的住宅有很多种，最常见的有独栋房、连排房、公寓等。英国人理想中的家是什么样的？维多利亚式房屋和乔治王时代房屋分别有哪些特征？

 

There are many different types of houses in the UK. You may see detached, semi-detached, terraced houses or even end-of-terrace houses on a typical street. You might see mansions¹ in more affluent² parts of town, or people residing in bungalows³, preferring to live a life without stairs. Quaint⁴ cottages may dot the countryside, while heading to the cities you could see any number of types of flats, including houses turned into converted flats, studios and duplexes. But one thing you will notice is that many houses come from different eras, and asking a British person about their ideal home, many of them will have a specific period property in mind.

 

For some, it could be Victorian houses, which are often seen with bay windows, high ceilings, stained glass doors and coloured brickwork. During the Victorian era, a huge number of houses, particularly terraced, were built in towns and cities to accommodate vast numbers of workers who were moving from more rural areas.

 

Georgian architecture refers to houses built during the period of 1714 and 1830 during the reigns⁵ of four British monarchs⁶, all called George. Usually houses with this architectural style have a more symmetrical theme, both internally and externally, with a small square garden in front. For those not into older properties, new builds from the 1990s onwards offer better insulation⁷ against the cold and newer electrics. And those who prefer less maintenance could always go with the open-plan or minimalist look of the modern era.

 

So whether it's high ceilings, better insulation, brickwork, bungalows or square gardens, people in Britain have a wide variety of preferences when it comes to where they live. And their ideal home may just simply be a case of what style feels like home.

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