Houses and Homes

Everyone needs to have somewhere they can sleep and feel safe,
dry and warm. We all need somewhere to take shelter from the
weather. People used to live in caves but over time they learned to
build their own shelters, and then homes.
The Celts
The Celtic tribes built
roundhouses made from wood
and straw, stuck on with
mud. This was called wattle
and daub. They did not have
any windows, and there was
only one room where everyone
lived together. Even their
animals lived in the same room with them! There would be a fire
in the middle of their home, and some of the smoke would escape
through a small hole at the top of the roof.

The Tudors
During the Tudor times,
people began to care more
what their houses actually
looked like. Their house was
made from wood and the
spaces in between were filled
using small sticks and wet
clay. This meant there was a
black and white effect. They
also built their houses very
close together which made
the streets very narrow.
Photo courtesy of (Clive Perrin - Wikipedia Commons) - granted under creative commons licence - attribution
The Georgians
After the Great Fire of London,
people had to use materials
that would not burn easily in a
fire. These materials were brick
and slate. A Georgian house
was very elegant, and often
looked square from the front.

In the Georgian times, people had to pay a heavy tax for windows.
The more money you had, the more windows you could afford.
Poor people sometimes bricked up their windows so that they
did not have to pay the window tax.

The Victorians
During the Victorian times, railways and factories were suddenly
being used. This meant that building materials could now be
carried by train to different parts of the country. People could
build their houses using materials from anywhere.
Bricks became cheaper and were very available. Rich Victorians
even made rooms for their servants to live in the attic!

Photo courtesy of (Francis Hannaway - Wikipedia Commons) - granted under creative commons licence - attribution
Modern Houses
Houses have changed a lot since the Victorian times. We have
more choice about what type of house we can live in.

Bungalows:
A bungalow is a building
where all the rooms are
on one level. There are no
stairs, and no bedrooms
upstairs.

Semi-detached houses:
A semi-detached house
means two houses are
joined together down one
side. This means the two
homes share a roof.

Flats and apartments:

These are tall buildings
split into individual homes.
You might have to go up in a
lift or walk up a lot of stairs.
They do not have their own
garden but some places have
a shared garden.
 Houses and Homes - Questions
1. Why do people need a shelter or house?


2. Celtic homes were made from wood and straw which were stuck on with
mud. What was this called?

3. Why did Celtic homes have a hole in the roof?

4. When writing about the Tudor houses, what word does the author use
that tells us the houses were so close together, it made the streets thin?

5. After the Great Fire of London, people were only allowed to build their
houses using materials that would not burn easily in a fire. Which
materials were these?

6. In Georgian times what part of a house was taxed?

7. In Victorian times how were building materials carried around the
country?

8. In bungalows, why are there no bedrooms upstairs?

9. How would you get up to your flat or apartment?

10. Describe how you would know what a semi-detached house is. 


 Houses and Homes - Answers
1. Why do people need a shelter or house?
People need a shelter or house to keep them safe, dry and warm.

2. Celtic homes were made from wood and straw which were stuck on with mud. What was this called?
Celtic homes were made from wood and straw which were stuck on with mud and this was called wattle
and daub.

3. Why did Celtic homes have a hole in the roof?

Celtic homes had a hole in the roof so that the smoke from the fire could escape.

4. When writing about the Tudor houses, what word does the author use that tells us the houses were so close together,
it made the streets thin?
When writing about the Tudor homes, the word the author use to tell us that the streets were thin is
‘narrow’.

5. After the Great Fire of London, people were only allowed to build their houses using materials that would not burn
easily in a fire. Which materials were these?
The materials that would not burn easily are brick and slate.

6. In Georgian times what part of a house was taxed?

In Georgian houses, windows were taxed.

7. In Victorian times how were building materials be carried around the country?
In Victorian times, building materials were carried around the country by trains.

8. In bungalows, why are there no bedrooms upstairs?

There are no upstairs bedrooms as bungalows are built on one level with no stairs.

9. How would you get up to your flat or apartment?

You would use a lift or stairs to get up to your flat or apartment.

10. Describe how you would know what a semi-detached house is.
Pupil’s own response based on: a semi-detached house means two houses are joined together down
one side. This means the two homes share a roof.
 Houses and Homes
Everyone needs to have somewhere they can sleep and feel safe, dry and
warm. We all need somewhere to take shelter from the weather. People
used to live in caves but over time they learned to build their own shelters,
and then homes.

Houses can tell us a lot about the type of people who built them and the people
who lived in them. We can find out how people used to live and compare it
to nowadays.

The Celts

The Celtic tribes lived in villages

that were dotted around
the countryside. They built
roundhouses made from wood and
straw, stuck on with mud, which
was called wattle and daub.

They did not have any windows,

and there was only one room where everyone lived together. Even their animals
lived in the same room with them! There would be a fire in the middle of the
home. The smoke would escape through a small hole at the top of the roof.
It would still have been very smoky.

The Vikings

Vikings lived in large, long

buildings. They were built using
a wooden frame and then made
the walls from woven sticks and
mud. Like the Celts, a Viking
family would all live together in
one room, but there would have
been an area at the end of the
room for the animals.

Photo courtesy of (Clive Perrin, Mercy from Wikipedia Commons) - granted under creative commons licence - attribution
The Tudors

During the Tudor period, people

began to care more about what their
houses actually looked like. Their
property was made from wood and
the spaces in between were filled
using small sticks and wet clay.
This meant there was a black and
white effect. They also often built
their houses very close together, which made the streets very narrow.

The Georgians

After the Great Fire of London, laws were

passed to make sure people used materials
that would not burn easily in a fire. These
materials were brick and slate, rather
than cheaper material like wood and clay.
A typical Georgian house was very elegant
and formal, with pillars at the front.

Georgian houses had sash windows.

These were large windows that would open and close by being slid up
and down. People had to pay a heavy tax for windows. So, the more
money you had, the more windows you could afford.
Poor people sometimes bricked up their windows so that they did not
have to pay the window tax.

The Victorians

During the Victorian times, there was a sudden burst of railways and
factories. Building materials could now be carried by train to different
parts of the country. People could now build their houses using materials
from anywhere instead of always having to use local materials.
Photo courtesy of (Francis Hannaway - Wikipedia Commons) - granted under creative commons licence - attribution
Modern Houses

Houses have changed a lot since the Victorian times. We have more choice
about what type of house we can live in.

Bungalows:
A bungalow is a building where all the
rooms are on one level. There would be no
need to have a staircase in a bungalow.
They usually need more land to be built on
than ordinary houses.

Detached houses:
Detached houses are not joined to any
other house.

Semi-detached houses:
A semi-detached house means two houses
are joined together down one side.
This means the two houses share a roof.

Flats and apartments:

These are tall buildings split into parts to make
individual homes. The homes are built on top of
each other so the taller the flat, the more homes
it can have. You would need to go up a lot of
stairs or use a lift if you lived near the top.
 Houses and Homes - Questions
1. Give two reasons why people need shelters or homes.


2. What were Celtic houses made from?

3. What do you think it would have been like in a Celtic round house?

4. Viking and Celtic houses had something in common. What was it?

5. In Tudor houses, what materials created the black and white effect?

6. What changed after the Great Fire of London, when Georgian houses
were built?

7. During the Georgian times, how could you show other people how much
money you had?

8. What made it possible in the Victorian times, for people to use materials
to build their houses, from all over the country?

9. Compared to other homes, what would you not be likely to see in a
bungalow?

10. Explain in your own words, what ‘flats’ are.



 Houses and Homes - Answers
1. Give two reasons why people need shelters or homes.
People need shelters or homes to keep them safe/ dry/ warm.

2. How were Celtic houses made?

Celtic houses were made from wood and straw, stuck on with mud/ They were round/ They had no windows
with a hole in the roof for the smoke to escape.

3. What do you think it would have been like in a Celtic round house?
Pupil’s own opinion based on the smoke/ all the family living in one room/ animals sharing the home/
no windows.

4. Viking and Celtic houses had something in common. What was it?
In both Viking and Celtic houses, the family all lived together in one room.

5. In Tudor houses, what materials made the black and white effect?
In Tudor houses the black and white effect was made from wood.

6. What changed after the Great Fire of London, when Georgian houses were built?
After the Great Fire of London, Georgian houses were built using materials that would not burn easily in
a fire.

7. During the Georgian times, how could you show other people how much money you had?
During the Georgian times, you could show other people how much money you had by having a lot
of windows.

8. What made it possible in the Victorian times, for people to use materials to build their houses, from all over
the country?
In Victorian times it was possible for people to use materials from all over the country because railways had
been built.

9. Compared to other homes, what would you not be likely to see in a bungalow?
Compared to other homes, you wouldn’t expect to see a staircase in a bungalow.

10. Explain in your own words, what ‘flats’ are.

Pupil’s own understanding of what ‘flats’ are based on the height, the stairs or lift, living near to so
many people.


 Houses and Homes
Since the beginning of time, people have needed shelter. They have needed
somewhere they can sleep where they are safe, dry and warm. Eventually,
people no longer lived in caves but began to build their own shelters, and
then homes.

Houses can tell us a lot about the type of people who built them and
those who lived in them. We can find out what life was like and what was
important to people hundreds of years ago.

The Celts

The Celtic tribes lived in villages

that were dotted around the
countryside. Their ‘houses’ did
not look like our idea of houses
today. They built roundhouses
made from a mixture of wood
and straw with mud, which
was called wattle and daub.
They did not have any windows, and there was only one room where
everyone lived together – even with their animals! There would be a fire in
the middle of their home, and some of the smoke would escape through a
small hole at the top of the roof. It would still have been very smoky.

The Vikings

Vikings lived in large, long

rectangular buildings. They built
a wooden frame and then made
the walls from woven sticks and
mud. Like the Celts, the Viking
family would all live together in
one room, but there would have
been an area at the end of the
room for the animals.

Photo courtesy of (Clive Perrin, Mercy from Wikipedia Commons) - granted under creative commons licence - attribution
 The Tudors

During the Tudor times, people began to care

more what their houses actually looked like.
They used a half-timbered technique, which
meant half the property was made from
wood and the spaces in between were filled
using small sticks and wet clay. This resulted
in a black and white effect. They also built
their houses with the second level overhanging the ground floor level. As
the streets were so narrow, they could not make their houses bigger on the
ground floor. This is why the second level hangs over the street level.

The Georgians

After the Great Fire of London, laws

were passed to make sure people used
fire-resistant materials like brick and
slate, rather than cheaper material
like wood and clay. A typical Georgian
house was very elegant and formal,
with pillars at the front. At the time,
people had to pay a heavy tax for
having windows, so the more windows you had meant you were more
wealthy. Poorer people would often brick up their windows.

The Victorians

When Queen Victoria was on the throne, there was a massive development
in railways and factories. People could now build their houses using
materials from all around the country instead of always having to use
local materials. Bricks became cheaper and were more available than ever
before. Wealthy Victorians had such huge houses, there was even room for
their servants to live in the attic. As people did not own cars, houses did
not have garages.
Photo courtesy of (Francis Hannaway - Wikipedia Commons) - granted under creative commons licence - attribution
Modern Houses

Houses have changed a lot since the Victorian times. We have more choice
about what type of house we can live in.

Bungalows:
A bungalow is a single storey building
with all the rooms on one level. They
usually need more land to be built on than
ordinary houses.

Detached houses:
Detached houses are not joined to any
other house so there is usually space all
the way around the building.

Semi-detached houses:
A semi-detached house means two
houses are joined together down one side.
Therefore, the two buildings share a roof.
More than 27% of homes in the UK are
semi-detached.

Flats and apartments:

These are tall buildings split into sections to
make individual homes., with homes on top
of each other. London is a crowded, busy city
with a lot of people living there. Almost half
of London homes are flats or apartments.
 Houses and Homes - Questions
1. What can we find out about people from knowing about the type of
houses they lived in?


2. Explain what wattle and daub was.

3. From reading about Celtic houses and Viking houses, name one fact that
was the same.

4. Explain how the black and white effect on Tudor houses was achieved.

5. Give one reason why Tudor houses often had an overhanging second
level.

6. Which words did the author use that means materials that wouldn’t
burn in a fire were used in Georgian houses?

7. Why do you think poor people bricked up their windows during Georgian
times?

8. During the Victorian times, why was it suddenly possible to build your
house using materials from all over the country?

9. As London is a crowded, busy city, why do you think almost half of the
houses are flats and apartments?

10. Which type of house would you like to live in and why?

 Houses and Homes - Answers
1. What can we find out about people from knowing about the type of houses they lived in?
From knowing about the types of houses that people lived in we can find out about the type of people who
built them and those who lived in them. We can also find out what life was like and what was important to
people hundreds of years ago.

2. Explain what wattle and daub was.

Wattle and daub was when houses were made from a mixture of wood and straw with mud.

3. From reading about Celtic houses and Viking houses, name one fact that was the same.
One fact that was the same between Celtic houses and Viking houses was that the families would all live
together in one room.

4. Explain how the black and white effect on Tudor houses was achieved.
The black and white effect in Tudor houses was achieved by half the property being made from wood and
the spaces in between were filled using small sticks and wet clay.

5. Give one reason why Tudor houses often had an overhanging second level.
One reason why Tudor houses had an overhanging second level was because they needed more space for
their large families/ the streets were narrow so they could not make their houses bigger on the ground floor.

6. Which words did the author use that means materials that wouldn’t burn in a fire were used in Georgian houses?
The words the author uses that means materials were used that did not burn in a fire is “fire-resistant”.

7. Why do you think poor people bricked up their windows during Georgian times?
Pupils own response based on the window tax and poor people not being able to pay it.

8. During the Victorian times, why was it suddenly possible to build your house using materials from all over the country?
During the Victorian times is was suddenly possible for people to build houses using materials from all
around the country because the railways had been built.

9. As London is a crowded, busy city, why do you think almost half of the houses are flats and apartments?
Pupil’s own response based on how crowded London is and that flats are built on top of each other so they
take up less space on the ground.

10. Which type of house would you like to live in and why?
Pupil’s own response with a relevant reason.