Researching the history of houses has become increasingly popular in recent years. Partly encouraged by the success of the BBC Two series A House Through Time, for which I was research consultant, more and more people are looking behind the curtains to discover the history of their home, or that of their ancestor. There are so many wonderful stories to discover about a property’s former residents and owners, including their working life and involvement in national events, along with potential skeletons in the closet and links to scandals of the past. I have been researching the social history of houses for almost 18 years, and I am continually captivated by the stories that can be uncovered.
Researching the histories of our houses involves piecing together a number of different sources to build up the story. There are many similarities between family and local history, and some of the important sources that you will rely on will already be familiar (although the information you will be looking for will differ), while others are likely to be completely new to you.
POINTS TO REMEMBER
Before getting started, there are a few key points to remember. First, a house’s number and name, and
