Three reasons why the terraced house is still a popular choice

The style spread to other cities, and then trickled down the socio-economic pyramid during the Industrial Revolution until it became the standard form of high-density housing for workers from Cornwall to Caithness.

Most had front doors opening straight onto the street and consisted of two rooms downstairs and two bedrooms upstairs – hence the term ‘two-up-two-down’ – with an outside toilet in the back yard.

To pack in even more homes per square mile, the back-to-back was invented, effectively giving each house three next-door neighbours; toilet and washing facilities were confined to communal courtyards.

But these were, unsurprisingly, deemed unsanitary and stopped being built. Nearly all of them were demolished during the so-called slum clearances after the Second World War. London and Birmingham each chose to retain a single example as a tourist attraction, but Leeds and Bradford still have a good number, albeit now with indoor plumbing.

Of the standard back-yard style of terraced house, though, many thousands remain, and although they went very much out of fashion from the 1960s to the 1990s, they have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity over the last 20 years as more people have come to appreciate the sturdiness of the architecture, the basic practicality of the design, and the sense of community it often engenders.

Our area never was a hotbed of industrial activity – there are not many mills and factories here – so the majority of properties are not terraced. But every town in the UK has some, and while they may not be back-to-backs, the following three homes are some of the best street-front terraced houses currently on the market near you.

In Harrogate, 23 Cold Bath Place is a stone-built three-storey house just off Cold Bath Road. It has three bedrooms, a bathroom, and, on the ground floor, a kitchen and living room that are effectively open-plan as most of the dividing wall has been opened up. To the rear, there’s a lean-to porch that is used as a utility room, and beyond, a back yard with seating area and shed.

In the Vale of York, Hale Cottage is in the middle of a three-house row just opposite the village hall in Whixley. Built as a true two-up-two-down, it’s now Grade II listed and has two bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen, living room, and, to the rear, an enclosed stone-flagged courtyard. There’s also an outhouse which provides storage but has plumbing for a washing machine if required.

Finally, in Nidderdale, Dove Cottage was also built as a two-up-two-down, but in a very different style. Located in the heart of Pateley Bridge, it has two bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen-diner and living room, as well as a back yard patio area. It’s for sale with no upward chain, and is described by the agent as “perfect for first-time buyers”.