A small building or structure located behind the main house, historically used as an outhouse, storage shed, or servants' quarters.
Compound of 'back' (rear) and 'house,' both Old English. Common in colonial and Victorian architecture, the term reflected the layout of domestic spaces before modern plumbing.
Before indoor plumbing, every house needed a backhouse outhouse—and if you were fancy enough, you had multiple ones depending on the size of your property and household.
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