Sunday 29 April 2012: Daylight Robbery

Window tax was introduced in England, Ireland and Wales in 1696. The original English formula was a flat rate per house, with an additional, variable tax for properties with more than 10 windows.

Window tax was introduced to Scotland in 1748, where a house had to have at least seven windows or a rent value of at least £5 to be taxed

To avoid, or minimise the tax, many householders blocked up windows. There are numerous buildings in Edinburgh New Town with blocked up windows dating from this period. In some places a false window was painted on to keep the symmetry of the architecture & there are a few of those still around too. If memory serves, some houses built at this time were designed with windows, but built with them blocked up - to be cleared at a future date if the tax was repealed.

The window tax is thought to have spawned the saying "daylight robbery", and was an alternative to Income Tax, which was viewed as overly intrusive by the general populous. Window tax was only repealed on 24 July 1851 and replaced by a tax on inhabited houses.

Blast's 2012 Challenge: Window

I'm back blipping again - starting here

• DMC-TZ10:
• f/4.1:
• 1/50":
• 11.0mm:
• ISO 80

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