What do you call this?

[mr ploppy]

Originally Posted by orlok

I agree that passageway seems most appropriate. We use "jitty" here in the Midlands, but in our case it refers to a narrow unpaved lane, so there could be confusion in the wider world if you called it that.

That's called a ginnell here, but I've also heard it called a lonnin. I think I'll probably go with passageway, that seems to be the most multilingual.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Bilbo1967

Here in the UK, I do not believe that such a passageway would ever be called a Mews.

Definitely not. A Mews is a narrow street around the back of, or at the side of, a street or large house, originally used to stable the horses owned by the occupants of the nearby houses. These days, the stables have almost all been converted into garages.

[SeaKing]

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

http://i48.tinypic.com/29atw1z.jpg

It's the arch-shaped hole between 2 adjacent terraced houses that leads into the back gardens. It's private property (shared by the 2 houses), so alleyway or ginnel doesn't seem to fit.

You are making it too hard.
It is just an alley entrance to the back and whatever is there.

Up in the Northeast in the USA it is common for houses on narrow lots, but usually only in the suburban areas are they open or with a gate. In the cities, they would be locked or usually bricked or walled off from the outside for security.

[GA Russell]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Definitely not. A Mews is a narrow street around the back of, or at the side of, a street or large house, originally used to stable the horses owned by the occupants of the nearby houses. These days, the stables have almost all been converted into garages.

Those are common in New Orleans, where they are called alleys. They are paved with small bleached shells instead of gravel.

[SeaKing]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

Those are common in New Orleans, where they are called alleys. They are paved with small bleached shells instead of gravel.

I recall the nicer ones in NO, Charleston, Savannah and other similar places to have nice tall ornate iron gates that can be locked with modern cylinder locks that have been welded into the old iron.

The less expensive method is just to use a chain and a padlock, though I have actually seen Kryponite bike locks on a few. This is not only to prevent burglaries but to keep the drunks, prostitutes and homeless out as well.

I have been in many a Port City, and they really need locks on their gutters as well to keep the drunks from ending up in them.

What is it about a Port City? Surely not the sailors.

[teh603]

[QUOTE=SeaKing;2117889The less expensive method is just to use a chain and a padlock, though I have actually seen Kryponite bike locks on a few. This is not only to prevent burglaries but to keep the drunks, prostitutes and homeless out as well.[/QUOTE]
That's also how most farmers keep their gates locked, in case anyone was wondering. Push the gate closed, wrap a chain thru it around the gate post, and run a padlock thru it.

[frahse]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Definitely not. A Mews is a narrow street around the back of, or at the side of, a street or large house, originally used to stable the horses owned by the occupants of the nearby houses. These days, the stables have almost all been converted into garages.

That's a shame about the stables being converted into garages.

Originally Posted by SeaKing

What is it about a Port City? Surely not the sailors.

Surely not!

mr ploppy, why not embed your pictures?

[Edward M. Grant]

My parents' house had one like that when I was growing up in the UK and we just called it 'the passage'. It ran up the side of our house to give access to the gardens behind our house and the neighbours' and we mostly used it for keeping our bikes out of the rain when we were kids.

[BookCat]

I live in a Victorian terrace which has one to access the gardens. I call it the alleyway; but it's slightly different to the one in your pic in that my garden access is open to the sky, rather than arched. I'm not sure if being sky-open makes a difference to the term, but 'alleyway' does sound more like it's between two walls rather than enclosed.

Passageway, with some description, seems more likely, though does have unfortunate connotations.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by BookCat

Passageway, with some description, seems more likely, though does have unfortunate connotations.

Perhaps you could call it the "back passage" instead.

[MikeB1972]

I'd call it a ginnel, but I think it's just a northern term.

[GA Russell]

ploppy, with all the answers here it occurs to me that the correct answer for your novel would be the term the locals use in the setting of your story. Sound reasonable?

[SeaKing]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

ploppy, with all the answers here it occurs to me that the correct answer for your novel would be the term the locals use in the setting of your story. Sound reasonable?

Gee. Some mysterious lady invoked the "r" word.