In the Victorian era it was an opportunity to be ostentatious in ceramic tiling when such things were otherwise regarded as being a bit vulgar.
A well scrubbed and polished black and white or multi-coloured chequered floor was a step up from the traditional ox-blood painted plain concrete.
Terrazzo, an Italian inlaid floor, reminiscent of a Roman Tessare was a more expensive option.
On the inner walls of an open porch were bright and gawdy glazed tiles from the continent, mostly Dutch up to a raised glazed moulding below a gloss finished plaster panel on which further fibrous plaster covings could be positioned.
The 1970's and a period of escalating domestic fuel prices heralded the enclosing of the porch as a heat saving measure. Double outer doors were popular, typically with glazed upper and lower panes but negotiating these required a bit of a shimmy and deft step particularly if there was a reluctance to open up both at the same time.
Later developments in UPVC were quite bland except where Conservation Area or Listed Building Status dictated installation of a more sympathetic architectural style fitting.
Most contemporary porch structures affixed to modern housing tend to be more of a stick-on type appendage with little thought of visual empathy or even practicality.
In some cases, however, the design and construction of a porch can be a real work of art.
Take the example below, a treasure, a rare extravagance in crafted wood with slate roof, decorative bargeboards topped with a pointy ended wooden finial, herringbone panels,inset tiles and an unusual Mandarin type feature, stained glass windows and to the recess a pair of bench seats for visitors to shelter if no-one is at home or for residents to enjoy a view of the tended garden and a glorious sunset at the end of the working day.
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