HAVE you ever gone past a building and seen a window that has bricks instead of glass?
Author and TV host @history_alice revealed there is a very significant reason why this may be the case.
In a video that has racked up over 33,000 likes on Instagram, she explained this was down to old “window tax.”
She said: “This was the result of the notorious 1696 window tax.
“Anyone living in a house with more than 10 windows was to be taxed.
“The idea being that only the wealthier would pay because they probably had bigger houses.
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“But the government underestimated the public’s determination to do everything in their power to avoid paying.
“Rather than cough up cash for the privilege of fresh air, many existing windows were bricked up to reduce the total number of windows in a property to avoid paying the tax and leaving us with this strange feature we see today.”
In the caption she added: “Daylight robbery!
“Also worth knowing that sometimes the bricked up spaces were a result of internal details (such as a staircase or chimney).
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“There were many window taxes until 1851, when it was repealed after heavy campaigning by the likes of Charles Dickens.”
Many people were quick to take the comments to share how they had never known the reason.
One said: “Very interesting. I never knew that. I love your site.”
A second added: “Had no idea why we see these bricked up windows. Thank you for the interesting information.”
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