I was in a neighbors house recently and it was one of those houses where the family leave their shoes in the hall and walk around the house in socks. Haven't seen that in years. When in Rome etc.; I went to take off my shoes but in fairness I was told not to worry about doing that as I was a guest. I then sat there for the next hour feeling awkward & dirty with a pair of brogues on me as they all had socks (and sock like things) on them.

That practice seemed to be common enough when I was a lad back in the early 1980s, when I called to my mates houses to play Subbuteo, in the same way people had ornament cabinets, 'good rooms' for dining on Xmas day, sets of encyclopedias, barometers in the hallway, etc. I thought that game was well over. We often wear socks around the house but having a 'no shoe' rule indoors ???

Do people still do that; have a mandatory rule to take their shoes off and walk around the house in socks ? I can see the sense of that practice on farms but do people still do this in leafy suburbia ?