Houses Converted To Flats In The London Area

[dave50]

Most accommodation in and around the London area seems to be flats. Were most of these converted from houses in the past or were they built as flats? I was wondering if they were converted, when did these conversions start to be done? I assume it was because of spiralling house prices, if so have London property prices always been as relatively high as they are now to the rest of the country or has it happened more in recent times? Just wondered about the history behind it all.

[woofgang]

a bit of each i think, A lot of the older houses were converted. but there were "flats" called rooms or apartments as far back as georgian times, not sure about earlier.

[Octavius]

Well it depends where you mean really. A lot of the old dock warehouses were converted into exclusive riverside apartments. Buildings were defunct but required preserving (listed or suchlike) and people wanted to be in the city and overlooking the Thames. Prime.