Street Numbering

[RobertMee]

Does anyone know when and why the practice of numbering houses on a street (at least in Britain) with one side even and the other side odd began? Has there ever been any legislation on the matter?

[paulz]

No real answer except our street the numbers are in sequence ie 1,2,3 etc and it ends up that number two is opposite number 50! Confusing if you're a cabbie or postie. Our street was built just after WW2

[sddsddean]

We live on a new estate which will be finished in a couple of months time. According to the lady in the sales office, it is the council who decide what numbers go where. I asked her this, as at the top of the estate, it opens into a big T shaped close, so odds go round to the left and evens to the right. I worked out that the numbers should meet at about 65, which would be next to 64. However, as the council are responsible, they have decided that the odds end at 57 and their next door neighbour is 72. God help anyone looking for 59, 61, 63, 65, 67, 69 and 71!!

[Ewood27]

I believe that numbering houses, whatever the order, only started with the introduction of universal postage in the nineteenth century. Before that there was no need for an organised system. You just told your servant to take the letter to Sir James! Napoleon is supposed to have ordered houses to be numbered in captured cities to make it easier to track down any resistance.

[FredPuli]

Napoleon or not the system commonly found in France is to number straight down one side 1 to say 100 regardless of even or odd. This is typically sound Gallic logic ( and very 'Napoleonic' too) The numbering of the opposite side from 200 say , to 101 so at least you only have to look across the road to estimate how far down e.g. 160 or 60 are as 100 and 101 are farthest away( and opposite one another). And if they lengthen the street later? Simple. .They give the extension a new street name and start over again ! Division or filling gaps produces '# bis' ( 'again' or ''twice) for # A'. (Easier for us than their theatre seating which is often even numbered seats to one side of the hall and odd numbered on the other!)

[darth vader]

It was incase they lengthened the street, so that the numbers would still be sequential as you walked down the path (be it in 2's and not 1's) and make Mr Postie's life much easier

[darth vader]

BTW - if they lengthend it the OTHER WAY then they started again (if you ever drive down Huddersfield Road around Mirfield you'll see this happen) so a road in theory could have 2 number 32's - i bet the postie loved this system (not) but more often than not the road name simply got changed at the start of the extension hence some roads in britain seem to change name a few times even though it seems to be the same road.

[darth vader]

if you know what i mean (sorry i didn't do very well in explaning this one did I?)

[darth vader]

i mean, i didn't even try to explain WHEN it happened

[darth vader]

I don't know by the way, in case you're wondering

[RayLynch69]

In the US when land is set up for development it is set up in lots or parcels. They are then numbered even on one side of the street, odd on the other. When one or more lots are combined, say lots (i.e. 60-64) the addresses would run 60 and then skip to 66. This accounts for the lost on missing numbers. But this can also change. Any town or burg has different zoning laws, but all must meet postal standards.