Playing the name game: Why what you call a house really matters

What’s in a name? Well it depends. When it comes to a person, probably not that much. When it comes to a home, however, it can be quite a bit (at least, financially). Savills have done some digging, and found out that properties with the name ‘The Manor House’ command the highest price tag in England and Wales. 

This may not come as an enormous shock to readers of Country Life, who probably see The Manor House illustrated in print and online with alarming regularity. So too homes with names such as the Old Rectory, the Old Vicarage, Grove House, the Oast House, Glebe House and, uhh, Mallards.

It seems the English and Welsh have long had an affinity for the ancient feudal system, religion, mythology, flora and beer, and have a rich tradition naming our homes after those things. 

The result is that homes with those names command a certain market premium. For example, a ‘Manor House’ was sold 56 times by Savills in the past five years, with the average value of those homes being £1.423 million, and 43% of those homes selling for more than £1 million. 

As well as The Manor House, homes named Old Rectory, Mallards, Old Vicarage and Oast House all had an average value of more than £1 million. ‘Certain English house names have held steady over hundreds of years, and tell us a lot about the provenance and history of the property,’ says Lucian Cook, head of residential research at Savills. ‘Still today, house names instantly conjure an image, whether it’s the distinctive roof line of an oast house or the intricate timbers within a tithe barn.’ It is not clear what someone is supposed to imagine when they see a home called Mallards, but I would assume it is something to do with ducks. Or possibly trains.

‘The name of a house can give it a particular charm, even a notional personality, before a prospective buyer has even set eyes on the property. Quintessentially English names symbolise ideal country living, and conjure up images of period drama,’ adds Phillippa Dalby-Welsh, head of Savills Country Department.

‘Manor houses, rectories and vicarages, in particular, benefit from central locations typically sitting on the edge or at the centre of the village. Properties which historically symbolised high stature are also usually very well proportioned with high ceilings and large windows, and good sized gardens, perfect for modern day families.’

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