When did townhouses first appear in the UK?

Question

I was wondering when townhouses first appeared in the UK. By townhouse I don't mean row house(I'm not sure they're quite the same), but houses owned by nobles in the city/capital and used during the social season.

Answer 1

The aristocracy began building or acquiring Townhouses, as opposed to mansions in the country in the 17th and 18th centuries. Those who had enough money would have their own built, but many acquired properties from the builders who were building speculatively at the time. Indeed, one such speculative developer was himself an aristocrat, the Duke of Bedford who had Bedford Square and the surrounding area developed. The houses that he built were then occupied by lesser aristocrats. They were developed as what you American call 'row houses' but we in the UK call 'terraced housing' But very grand terraced houses, with a basement and three or four stories. A moving panorama can be seen at
http://www.urban75.org/vista/bedford.html

Another area that was developed at this time was Mayfair, which was again owned by another noble family, the Grosvenors.