大象传媒

The clich茅 goes that an Englishman's home is his castle, but like most clich茅s it's also a truism. Unlike many of our European neighbours (say France or Germany), we believe that owning our own property is something to aspire to, with the peak coming in 2005 when 71% of householders owned their own property. We as a nation view our homes as something more than just a place to lay our heads or raise our kids; the sheer number of DIY shops on our high streets and property shows on our televisions are testament to this. A house is simply the most expensive and personal investment most of us will make in our lifetimes and as such we take the upkeep and personalisation of our homes very seriously.
Following the destruction wrought by Germany during World War II, whole cities were essentially rebuilt from the ground up (or by joining together a number of smaller towns), and from the '60s onwards, new towns, like Basildon or Newton Aycliffe, were also created to re-house displaced families. Come the '80s, one of Margaret Thatcher's flagship policies was allowing people the chance to purchase their own homes from local councils, which led to a big increase in home ownership and allowed families the chance to get a foot on the property ladder. And a little trivia here; Our House was used on the trailer for the Meryl Streep film about Margaret Thatcher The Iron Lady. Coincidence or a nod to the part Thatcher played in our nation's desire to purchase our own homes?
Madness are a much-loved national treasure, and one of those bands who, like The Kinks or Blur, are quintessentially British and speak of a specific time and place. Our House is so deeply enmeshed in our culture that its use on property and renovation shows has become a lazy clich茅.