What is a flat?

Before considering what is a Mansion Flat it is worth considering what we mean as a flat and how this comes about: a flat is a dwelling forming part of a building with accommodation on one level only (a duplex, by contrast, has accommodation on two levels or more).  It can range in size from single room to a large suite of rooms.

Flats can be traced back to the 16^th century in Scotland, and in Rome and in other countries in Europe for several hundred years before this. In England houses were preferred to flats. Flats only became vogue in England in the later part of the 19th century.

This was due to the underlying social conditions at the time:  Firstly, society was more structured and mannered than at present. Class was more prevalent and this was a determining fact in all aspects of behaviour.

Secondly, the Victorian era bought huge engineering and technological change. This meant it was possible to build vertically and to equip buildings to provide habitable accommodation at different levels.

Thirdly, the huge increase in population over the 19^th century created a demand for housing that could only be met by increasing the density of developments i.e., building upwards rather than more spread out.

Those living in flats were historically assumed to be lower class and somewhat itinerant as renting was popular but associated with the lifestyle of a tradesperson. New housing concepts were therefore needed for the middle and upper classes in the capital.

During the last quarter of the 19th century Britain’s wealth increased and ideas began to change.  Urban growth and the increasing population meant that traditional townhouses were becoming too expensive to maintain so for bachelors and unmarried women the idea of renting mansion flats became more attractive.  Mansion flats were something new, different and were soon in great demand.

The restrictions that flat layouts imposed on nineteenth century living conditions made the design of flats critical to their success. Years of social constraint and religious conservatism meant that placing bedrooms and living rooms on the same floor raised fears of a moral nature. By contrast, Parisian flats were normally designed so the bedrooms were connected to living rooms without intervening corridors, creating a large suite of rooms for entertaining.

According to Sydney Perks, author of Residential Flats in 1905, it was desirable for a flat to be laid out in such a way the servant could open the front door without having to walk through the main hall of the flat to get to the working areas i.e. kitchen.

It was also desirable for sound disturbance to be cut down by using thick carpets because even in the 19th century, sound transmission between flats was a problem. The deadening effect of carpets also had the advantage that the family and their guests in the living rooms wouldn’t be disturbed by hearing their servant moving around behind the scenes

There would have been a bell in every room which the family would ring to summon the maid; some of these are still in place. There were no service stairs but goods lifts were installed to take packages up and down, the rubbish and ashes down and speaking tubes were fitted. Each morning the Porter would whistle up the tube to alert the household that the lift was on its way.

Where there was any compromise in the design of a flat, it mainly affected the servants. For example, the small third bedrooms commonly have no window on the outside of the building.  The windows face into the light well which provided some minimal light and air. These internal wells, whose dimensions were laid out in the London Building Act 1894 were common, particularly in the larger blocks, and often provided a conduit for cooking and other smells.

The concept of flats soon caught on, and by the time of the 2011 census over half the homes in Britain were flats; this includes both purpose built flats and ones converted from Georgian or Victorian houses.

What types of Flat are there?

Estate Agents and others use a confusing number of descriptions for flats, creating categories and sub-categories. An explanation follows:-