Happy Fake Window Wednesday!
This is a row of 5 terraced houses, nos.37-45, that were built c1785, with late C19 and C20 alterations but I hope some have looked closely enough to discover that two of the windows are fake! But which are they and why was it done?
A window tax, based on the number of windows in a house, was first introduced in 1696 by William III to cover revenue lost by the clipping of gold and silver coinage. It was a banded tax according to the number of windows in the house. For example, for a house in 1747 with ten to 14 windows, the tax was 6 pence per window; it increased to 9 pence with more windows. Not long after its introduction, people bricked up their windows to avoid paying the tax.
It was repealed in 1851 after pressure from doctors and others who argued that lack of light was a source of ill health.
The imitation windows here are the two above the doors to 37 and 39. They are bricked up but we’re carefully painted later to look like actual windows!
Happy Fake Window Wednesday!
This is a row of 5 terraced houses, nos.37-45, that were built c1785, with late C19 and C20 alterations but I hope some have looked closely enough to discover that two of the windows are fake! But which are they and why was it done?
A window tax, based on the number of windows in a house, was first introduced in 1696 by William III to cover revenue lost by the clipping of gold and silver coinage. It was a banded tax according to the number of windows in the house. For example, for a house in 1747 with ten to 14 windows, the tax was 6 pence per window; it increased to 9 pence with more windows. Not long after its introduction, people bricked up their windows to avoid paying the tax.
It was repealed in 1851 after pressure from doctors and others who argued that lack of light was a source of ill health.
The imitation windows here are the two above the doors to 37 and 39. They are bricked up but we’re carefully painted later to look like actual windows!