Yeah, the main benefit of a mortgage to me is that when I am 55 it will be all paid off, and as I get to closer to that age the mortgage will stay the same (whereas rent tends to increase over time) while my salary increases. So yeah, I want to retire at 55, and the mortgage is a part of that plan.
We were all about renting before we "settled" though. Now we're committed to an area (nice job, kids in school, etc) so it makes sense to mortgage. I bought in an era where it was easier to mortgage. Nowadays you can get 95% mortgages but on a 150k house that still means saving up 7.5k - that's not easy, and you need to pay solicitors, etc. too!
I grew up in a 3-bed semi and my dad was only source of income and he was a bus driver. You just won't get that anymore. House prices are too mental now.