Semi-detached
**1. History of Semi-Detached Houses in the United Kingdom:**
– Semi-detached houses originated as a solution to housing issues for the rural and urban working classes in the 19th century.
– Model designs for estate villages and double cottages gained popularity for cost-saving and comfort reasons.
– Philanthropic societies and building societies played a role in assisting artisans and laborers in homeownership.
– Model villages like Port Sunlight and Bournville were significant developments that inspired the Garden City movement.
– The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the implementation of standards and regulations for semi-detached houses, including water piping, heating systems, and accommodations for returning soldiers.
**2. Housing Developments Outside the United Kingdom and Ireland:**
– Semi-detached houses symbolize suburbanization in the UK and Ireland, while in places like Toronto, they are known as duplexes.
– In the US, semi-detached houses are referred to as duplexes, twins, or double-blocks in different regions.
– Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is known for its popularity of semi-detached houses.
– In Australia, semi-detached houses are called duplexes, with variations in ownership structures and popularity across different regions.
**3. Semi-Detached Houses in Australia:**
– Semi-detached houses, known as duplexes, had a brief popularity in Sydney in the early 20th century before modern detached housing replaced them.
– Edwardian-era semis can still be found in places like Dubbo, New South Wales.
– Ownership structures and architectural trends differ between semi-detached houses and townhouses in Australia.
**4. Semi-Detached Houses in Canada:**
– Semi-detached houses were a suitable option for narrow lots in downtown Toronto, with post-war periods seeing continued construction of such homes.
– Toronto had a significant number of semis, with red-brick semis being common in downtown areas and older suburbs.
– Various styles of semis were built in neighborhoods like The Annex and Cabbagetown.
**5. Cultural References Associated with Semi-Detached Houses:**
– Various cultural references in music and literature highlight semi-detached houses.
– Songs like ‘Semi-Detached, Suburban Mr. James’ and ‘My Pink Half of The Drainpipe’ satirize aspects of neighborly relations.
– Albums like ‘Semi-Detached Mock Tudor’ and songs like ‘Wisemen’ reference semi-detached houses in their titles and lyrics.
A semi-detached house (often abbreviated to semi) is a single family duplex dwelling house that shares one common wall with the next house. The name distinguishes this style of house from detached houses, with no shared walls, and terraced houses, with a shared wall on both sides. Often, semi-detached houses are built in pairs in which each house's layout is a mirror image of the other's.
Semi-detached houses are the most common property type in the United Kingdom (UK). They accounted for 32% of UK housing transactions and 32% of the English housing stock in 2008. Between 1945 and 1964, 41% of all properties built were semis. After 1980, the proportion of semis built fell to 15%.