Both cottages and mansions can lay claim to the hearts of any fan of architecture or history. Many cottages and mansions can be attractive, trace their origins back for centuries and be sought-after properties – depending on your budget and tastes.
But they do have vastly different characteristics.
So what is the difference between a cottage vs mansion? The most obvious, perhaps, is the size. Cottages are, by popular agreement, quite small. Whereas, mansions are defined by their grandiose proportions.
But as to the precise differences between cottages and mansions, we should look more closely at their characteristics.
What is the difference between a cottage and a mansion?
What makes a mansion?
Bigger is not necessarily better, but let’s start by looking at the characteristics of mansions.
Technically, the term ‘mansion’ is used to describe a very large property. Typically, the house should be at least 740 m2 in size.
This size usually refers to the main house although associated buildings could be included if they are attached or very close to the main house.
This is the size required of mansions that are sited in rural areas. City mansions can be a lot smaller but still need to meet the requisite 460m2 minimum.
In the UK, we’re very lucky to have thousands of mansions scattered throughout the British Isles. So many, in fact, that we can compare the quality of the building materials and design, the changes made through different eras, the outbuildings and, almost as importantly, the landscaping of the grounds.
In fact, we can define different types of British Country House as a ‘mansion’. Some grand Country Houses were historically constructed by wealthy owners who would normally dwell in towns and cities. Their country house would be a retreat from the bustle of metropolitan areas.
As well as this, the many manor houses that can be found all over the British countryside were, historically, the home of the ‘Lord of the Manor’.
There would normally be an adjacent but attached farm and large agricultural holdings. These manor houses can often now be called mansions.
Of course, many modern houses can be classified as mansions if they are large enough. And if they have several rooms that cater for a range of needs, such as:
- Receptions rooms that include living and family rooms
- Dining rooms – possibly one for receiving guests and one for informal family dining
- A Library or Study
- A Wine-cellar or cellar with separate storage or working space for staff
- Several bedrooms with either en-suite or enough bathrooms for a houseful of guests to access without waiting
- A swimming pool – either indoor or outdoor or natural swimming place such as a lake or river
- The garden or grounds will be extensive and intentionally landscaped. This might be by a renowned designer or for a specific purpose such as to promote the ecology of the area
But whether the mansion is in a town or in the countryside it should have impact.
What makes a cottage?
Cottages, as you may expect, are a lot less grand but no less delightful. There is no exact size that will indicate whether a house is a cottage or not.
However, it is commonly accepted that a cottage is smaller and is unlikely to have more than 3 bedrooms.
Another characteristic that marks out a cottage from a mansion is that it is always to be found in rural areas or villages.
It is possible to find some cottages on the outskirts of smaller towns but cottages are very much synonymous with the countryside. This is based on their original intention of housing agricultural workers for larger farms.
The building materials are another clue to a home that is a cottage. Cottages are generally built of stone and the stone may be of an inferior quality to mansions.
Sometimes cottages are built of other materials local to the area it is sited. Cob cottages are found in the West Country and timber cottages are found in forested areas.
Cottages can also be single or two-storied buildings but unlike mansions, they will have neither cellars nor several floors. And the garden will be relatively small by comparison.
While both building types are integral to the history and richness of British life, everyone will have a preference about which they prefer.
Mansions are often intended as a symbol of wealth and status but are always impressive. Cottages, on the other hand, are intended to be homely and warm and very definably cosy.
