Fancy life in Wetwang, or laying your head in Great Snoring? Five homes for sale in villages with some of Britain's strangest place names
Clearly, you should never choose where to live based on an amusing name. But if you were so inclined, these would be excellent places to start — and the houses in question are delightful.
Pratt's Bottom - £1.5 million
In the heart of Kent's commuter belt, Pratt's Bottom is a very pleasant and leafy village near Orpington whose name comes from a once-prominent local family, the Pratts. The house is large and very nicely presented, a five-bedroom home with bi-fold doors that open on to a deck and large garden.
For sale with Unique. See more pictures and details about this property.
Great Snoring — £1.8 million
Just a few miles from the spectacular north Norfolk coast, this barn is a quite magnificent conversion — one which won an award in the 'Regeneration and Restoration' category at the 2018 International Design and Architecture Awards. The village's unusual name is believed to be a corruption of the Saxon word 'snarringes', rather than a reference to a noisy nocturnal neighbour.
For sale with Sowerbys. See more pictures and details about this property.
Wetwang — £490,000
In the East Riding of Yorkshire, equidistant from York and the coast, there is no consensus about the curious name of this little village. It appears in the Domesday Book as 'Wetuuangha', with some claiming it refers to 'Wet Field' (as opposed to nearby Driffield, or Dry Field) or else a Saxon name meaning 'field for the trial of a legal action'. What is not in doubt is the quality of this house, which will have metropolitan dwellers in similarly-priced flats turn green: gorgeously decorated and full of period features, it's wonderful.
For sale with Woolley & Parks. See more pictures and details about this property.
Plwmp — £425,000
The town name is pronounced, and means, 'plump', and earns a spot not just for that name but for its location in the wider area of Carmarthenshire known as Llandysiliogogo. This six-bedroom house is modern and well-presented inside, and has a party feel to it: it boasts a games room and a hot tub outdoors.
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For sale with John Francis. See more pictures and details about this property.
Giggleswick — £650,000
They're spoilt for quirky names in this part of Lancashire, where the Forest of Bowland meets the Yorkshire Dales — just up the road from this place are other villages named Wham, Settle and Feizor. The Dictionary of British Place Names says this one refers to a 'farm of someone called Gichel', or some other variation thereof. It's a pretty spot in any case, and this recently-built five-bedroom house has a location that makes the most of the hills ringing the area.
For sale with Davis & Bowring. See more pictures and details about this property.
Toby Keel is Country Life's Digital Director, and has been running the website and social media channels since 2016. A former sports journalist, he writes about property, cars, lifestyle, travel, nature.
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