For ease of navigation, every UK home has a number. It’s how your friends know where to find you and how the postie picks the right property to deliver your mail. However, we’ve read that your house number could have a deeper meaning.
When Were House Number Introduced?
Adding house numbers to UK homes to make properties easier to identify has only been a requirement for around 200 years. Before that, it was common for building owners to give their house a name or describe the location.
Some streets started to be numbered in the 1700s, but there wasn’t a numbering system or requirement to do so. The Postal Museum* states that the Metropolitan Management Act in 1855 was the start of regulating and standardising house numbers. This led to thousands of houses being given a new number. So, if you live in a period property, the address might have changed over time.
What is Numerology?
Numerology is the association of certain numbers with specific traits. The concept was popular in Ancient Greece, and many cultures still place considerable weight on the meaning or luck of a digit.
As an example, in Chinese, the number 8 sounds very similar to the word for prosperity. As a result, 8 is seen as a symbol of wealth, success and ambition. Therefore, people in China will pay more for a home featuring 8 in the house number.
In the UK, there is considerable superstition surrounding the number 13, which is viewed as unlucky. So much so that house builders will sometimes skip no.13 in a street. Have you ever noticed this? The Italians don’t mind the number 13. For them, the number 17 holds all the negative associations.
We were surprised to read that the house number is an important factor in the purchasing decision for some people. It seems that numerology is applied to all house numbers. For example, 4 is for traditionalists, and 5 is the party house for those who love entertaining. What does your house number mean? Find out in this Architectural Digest blog if we’ve got you intrigued.
Where to Position Your House Number
It is a legal requirement to display your house number to ensure postal workers and emergency services can easily locate your property. It should be visible from the road and not covered by foliage and other obstructions.
Most UK homes have house numbers on the front door or wall-mounted next to the front door. You might also decide to position your house number on the perimeter of your property, such as on a post, fence or gate mounted letterbox. This is particularly relevant for properties with a long drive or high boundaries, where the front door isn’t visible.
You might also decide to add exterior lighting to illuminate house numbers in the evening and through winter months.
What Style of House Number?
House numbers and name plates are made from a wide variety of weather-resistant materials, including powder-coated metal, glazed ceramics, painted wood and wrought iron. From rustic to contemporary, you can find a design that adds to the kerb appeal of your property.
At Letterbox4You, we offer large house numbers and letters for wall mounting on doors, walls, fences and posts. These are made from powder varnished aluminium in a bronze, silver or graphite finish and we provide screws for mounting.
In addition, we have small house numbers and letters with a strong self-adhesive backing to easily attach to front doors and external letterboxes. Finally, we can provide self adhesive flat vinyl letters and numbers to personalise external letterboxes.
So, if you are upgrading the front of your property with a new post box, why not add house numbers to your order? Equally, if it’s time to replace rusty or damaged house numbers, our modern and easy solutions make this a stress-free DIY project. Finally, we supply a bulk order of house numbers to building developers in the final stages of their construction project.
If you have any questions or wish to place a multiple order, give our helpful team a call on 01296 389401.
*https://www.postalmuseum.org/blog/house-numbering/
190 mm large street numbers in Graphite finish, wall-mounted for clear and stylish house signage