What does MEWS property mean?

Cat695

When it says in a house ad that its a mews property?

QTPie

I am not sure to be honest, despite our last house being a "mews house" :rotfl:

Our old house was one of 6 "mews houses" attached to a block of flats in a converted brewery. House was duplex and we shared the communal facilities, but none of the houses had a private garden (that may be something to do with the name "mews house"?)

QT

Cat695

QTPie wrote: »

I am not sure to be honest, despite our last house being a "mews house" :rotfl:

Our old house was one of 6 "mews houses" attached to a block of flats in a converted brewery. House was duplex and we shared the communal facilities, but none of the houses had a private garden (that may be something to do with the name "mews house"?)

QT

I get the feelings its something to do with that as all the ones I've looked at all seem to share.

m_13

Mews seems to be used as a posh way of describing a terraced house. However, as Wikipedia says, the correct use involves the property having been stables at some time:

Mews is a chiefly British term formerly describing a row of stables, usually with carriage houses below and living quarters above, built around a paved yard or court, or along a street, behind large London houses of the 17th and 18th centuries. The word may also refer to the lane, alley or back street onto which such stables open. It is sometimes applied to rows or groups of garages or, more broadly, to a narrow passage or a confined place. Today most mews stables have been converted into dwellings, some greatly modernized and considered highly desirable residences

Terraces are also described as row houses or townhouses.

The key thing about mews, terraces, row or townhouses is that the majority are attached to two neighbours. Only the end houses have one neighbour and are therefore semi-detached.

Comyface

I thought 'mews' was just a different/fancy way of saying 'terraced'?

The newer build terraceds always seem to be called mews houses.

JF77

Here's my example of a mews property.

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-19926751.html

princessamy86

Totally agree with JF77, it should only be applied to converted stable blocks! However, the phrase has been roundly abused by developers, so yes, really just a new build terraced house.

pawpurrs

Mews is converted stables, normally very nice in Central London, cobbled streets down the middle...... My dad lives in one.
But yes developers seem to have taken it as a posh way of saying terraced!

QTPie

This is an apartment in the development that I used to live - http://img.findaproperty.com/pritchardandpartners/m11456080.pdf (I didn't live in that apartment).

The photo on the first page shows the development (converted 18th century brewery). Just looking at the old building with the rusty brown roof, the two storey building in the foreground (that wraps around the taller building) - the first floor is mainly velux windows - are the mews houses. The taller building in the middle is the flats. "Mews houses" sort of suited the houses there: they weren't stables I don't think (although were part of the original brewery). Nice place to live - quite a lot of character, great location, rubbish parking though

QT

mchale

I was always lead to believe a mews, is a property which has no land/yard to its rear, as opposed to a terrace which has a back yard

princessamy86

That looks nice QTPie, haha I'll let you off- they can be described as mews . Just annoys me at work when there's a 2 bed shoebox that the developer insists is a "modern mews house". It's not. It actually embarrasses me to hand details out for these. Not that I can say anything though!