How to Research the History of a House

If you are thinking of moving into an older home wouldn’t it be really interesting to discover all the history of the property and who has previously lived in your house?

What was the land used for before the home was built, what is the history of the local area, or are there any local legends associated with your home or street?

Wouldn’t it be fascinating to find out?

In this week’s home moving blog, we will show you how to trace the history of your home, find out who once lived in your house, and how to research the history of your new neighbourhood.

You may also like to read: What Should I Name My Home? Older homes especially benefit from having a unique name. In this guide we not only give some suggestions for a name for your new home, but also how best to display them.

How Old is My House?

How do you discover what year your house was built? Luckily there are many resources available to help you when tracing the history of your house, and your home itself may offer you some clues too.

Only 20% of homes in the UK were built before 1919 which means that the majority of homes in the UK have a searchable history.

You can find a breakdown of the number of houses in the UK by age in the English Housing Survey 2014/2015.

Often you can find dated bricks or even a year plaque on the exterior walls, failing that there are still ways to determine the age of your home from its design and features.

Here are some ways to find out how old your home is and discover its history:

How Do You Tell What Period Your Home Was Built In?

When you are trying to find out how to trace the history of your house, the design of your home may give you a good indication as to what period it was built in.

Is My Home Tudor?

Tudor homes date from 1485 to 1603. Typically Tudor homes are half-timbered with exposed wooden frames, often painted black against the white plaster of the external walls.

The steep roof, often with a tall chimney, would have originally been thatched but many are now tiled.

Casement windows will have small glass panes, whilst the house will not appear symmetrical.

The internal layout is often in an ‘H’ or ‘E’ shape.

Is My Home Stuart/Jacobean?

Built between 1603 and 1714, the homes in this period have large rooms with elegantly plastered high ceilings.

Sash windows, large fireplaces, and a symmetrical brick façade with ornate cornicing are also notable features of homes built in this period.

Is My Home Georgian?

Georgian homes typically have larger rooms on the first two floors where the main family lived, whilst the upper levels where the servants’ rooms were, are smaller with lower ceilings.

The kitchen would have been in the basement.

Externally, Georgian homes tend to be rather plain, often just with pale-coloured plaster over the brickwork, but with large front doors.

Sash windows were typical of this period.

Another clue that your home may be Georgian is if any of the windows have been bricked up. This was to avoid the window tax which was imposed between 1696 and 1851.

The more windows a home had, the more affluent the owners were assumed to be and therefore paid higher taxes.

Another pointer that your home may be Georgian is that they did not have their own gardens but were built around communal garden squares. The front of Georgian homes often have metal railings.

The Georgian period was from 1714 through to 1837.

Is My Home Victorian?

Queen Victoria reigned from 1837 until 1900, during which time the Industrial Revolution changed the design and availability of homes dramatically.

In the industrial regions, particularly the Midlands and the North, terraced houses were built in large numbers to accommodate the workforce.

As factory owners became wealthier the design became more elaborate and the size of houses increased.

Typically a Victorian terraced home will be simple in design, often a two up, two down. Rooms are often high with large windows and will open directly onto the street.

Larger Victorian homes have high-pitched roofs with decorative gables.

Bay windows often feature, as do real wood floors and fireplaces in every room.

Many will have stained glass windows and brick-built porches.

Is My Home Edwardian?

Edwardian homes are characterised by large rooms, high ceilings, tiled floors, and stained glass windows.

There will be several decorative features throughout the home, an influence from The Arts and Crafts Movement.

Edwardian homes tend to have both a front and rear garden and are typically found in the suburbs.

The Edwardian era was from 1901 until 1910.

Due to the First World War, home building came to a stop from 1914 until 1918, which brings us to our next period.

Is My Home an Addison?

Built from 1919 onwards, these homes are usually all red brick, rendered, or part rendered, with large windows.

Set back from the road and usually 3 or 4 bedrooms, they are mostly found in the suburbs and are simply designed.

Is My Home Art Deco?

Between 1920 and 1940 some of the most unique and desirable homes were built in the Art Deco style.

Heavily influenced by French fashion, Art Deco homes have many design features often utilising glass, chrome, and stainless steel.

Large windows, flat roofs, smooth contours, and geometric designs are common.

Is My Home a 1930’s Home?

Huge numbers of these homes were built both as semi-detached and detached town and suburb homes all over the country.

Typically two-storey, with bay windows on each level, recessed porches, garages or drives, and often pebble-dashed.

Was My Home Built in the ’60s?

During the ’60s and ’70s, houses tended to be 2 or 3-storey with open-plan kitchen and dining rooms.

Often the exterior had plastic or wooden weatherboarding and were the first homes to feature insulation.

If your home was built after the ’80s then determining the date should be fairly easy as there should be comprehensive records from this period onwards.

Bonus: Still unsure of what period your home was built in? Look around your home for clues from old doorknobs, electrical fittings, and door hinges for example.

Then visit www.theperiodironmonger.co.uk which has an extensive picture library of period ironmongery which you may be able to match up with the ironwork in your home and even purchase items that are missing if you want to restore your new home to its former glory.

You may also like to read: How to Make a New Place Feel Like Home. If you have just moved to a new area then you may feel like a fish out of water. In this guide, we share tips on getting to know your new area and making it feel like your home.

How to Find the History of a House Online

The internet holds a wealth of information that may help you determine the age and history of your home.

Here are some of the best online resources to help you in your quest.

HM Land Registry

Although they cannot tell you the date your home was built, the HM Land Registry website will be able to show the date when the property developer transferred the building to its first owner.

National Records of Scotland

www.nrscotland.gov.uk has a number of resources to help you research the history of your home as well as a guide to tracing local Scottish history.

Census Records

You can narrow down the time frame your home was built in by checking census records.

Every ten years between 1841 and 1911 a national census was taken, so you could search these to find the first mention of your home.

You can search the census database at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Local Council Records

Your local council may hold some historical records about your home.

You can find your local council contact details at www.gov.uk  

Fire Insurance Maps

Going back to 1885, the British Library holds town and city maps dating from 1885 through to 1930.

Ordnance Survey Maps

Browsing local or ordnance survey maps may also help.

Visit www.maps.nls.uk to browse ordnance survey maps from between 1840 and the 1950’s.

1939 Homes Register

There is also a useful tool at www.findmypast.co.uk where you can search the register of all homes in the UK as recorded in 1939.

1862 Act Register

If you have a particularly old home you may find a record of it in the 1862 Act Register, the first record made of land and property ownership in England and Wales.

You can view the 1862 Act register at www.gov.uk

Local History Groups

Local history groups will likely have not only written records but photographic records of your street or neighbourhood.

You can find a database of local history societies at www.local-history.co.uk which covers all of the UK including the Channel Isles.

Senior Citizen Clubs and Associations

Your local senior citizens clubs may have members with a wealth of local knowledge.

Local Businesses

If you have a generations-old local business or factory, your home may have been built to house workers, so it may be worth contacting them to see if they can help with any historical records they may have.

Social Media

Often there is a neighbourhood historical society, historian, or knowledgeable neighbour on social media who may be able to help with your search. Just search your local pages to find them.

Libraries

Libraries are often a great source of local information and are well worth a visit.

You can find your nearest library at www.gov.uk   

To find out if there is a mobile library that visits your area go to www.gov.uk  

British Association for Local History

The British Association of Local History may also have some useful links and information, including old maps and reference books.

How Do I Find Original Building Plans of My House?

If you can locate the original building plans of your home that will also tell you how old your home is.

The best place to look for these is at your local records archive which will hold records from the late 19^th century onwards.

The contact details for your local records archive can be found at www.discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk

How Do You Find Old Pictures of Your Home?

Finding old photos of your street or house is a fun way to determine how old your home is and what it looked like in times gone by, and is especially useful if you want to restore the home to its original design.

Looking at old photos is also a great way to find out about the history of your neighbourhood or town or village.

Making an album for your coffee table makes a great conversation starter as does a wall of vintage photos.

Here are some great suggestions for places to start looking, and to start your collection.

Community Archives

www.communityarchives.org.uk has an interactive map of local history groups throughout the UK to help you find local archives that may have photographs of your area and even your home.

Historic England

You can browse thousands of images online, and even purchase them if you so wish, at www.historicengland.org.uk  

Historic Environment Scotland

SCRAN is part of Historic Environment Scotland and has an extensive catalogue of old pictures. There is free access to the archives for many schools, students, and library members within Scotland.

National Library of Ireland

The National Library of Ireland holds thousands of historic images from all over Ireland.

National Library of Wales

There is a huge collection of photos within the National Library of Wales depicting family life, events, and places.

Social Media

Local social media groups may help you in your search for old community photographs.

Often there are historical societies, local historians, and people who have lived in the area for generations with lots of useful information and pictures to share with you.

Local Libraries

Your local library will have a collection of books and information on the local area, often with details of local people who may be able to help you research your home.

Postcards

In Victorian and Edwardian times postcards were extremely popular and you may just find one that depicts your local area.

There is a huge collection of postcards on www.tuckdpostcards.org that is searchable by county and then down to town or village.

www.oldpostcards4sale.co.uk is also another useful resource to find old photographs of your local area.

Family History Archives

If you have discovered the family name of those who once lived in your home you may be able to find out more and discover photos of them and your home, at your local Family History Society.

Car Boots / Charity Stores / eBay

Car boot sales, secondhand stores, and eBay are great hunting grounds for old photo albums and postcards.

Neighbours

Just by talking to your neighbours you may discover that their family has lived in the street or area for generations and may have some old photos that they can share with you.

Senior Citizen Clubs

Your local senior citizen clubs and associations may be a good resource for finding out about the history of your local area, and there may well be people who have a mass of local photos and knowledge.

Local Businesses

Often local businesses have been in the area for generations and have lots of old records. They may even have some old photos if your home was built to house workers for example.

How Do I Get an Aerial Photograph of My Home?

Aerial photos often tell a bigger story than street view ones and can be a mine of useful information.

Here are some resources that hold thousands of aerial photographs from all over the UK.

• www.britainfromabove.org.uk has a vast selection of photos taken from the skies of the UK. Dating from 1919 to 2006 there are over 1.26 million images for you to explore.
• www.oldaerielphotos.com is also a useful resource to find photos of your home taken from the skies.
• www.maps.nls.uk has a large database of searchable aerial maps of Scotland.

If you want an up-to-date aerial photograph of your home, here are some useful websites:

• www.findmeagift.co.uk     
• www.skyshutter.co.uk    

How Do I Find Previous Owners of My House?

Previous owners of the property may well have useful information that will help you identify the age of your home, or give you more details about the history of your home.

Who knows, you may discover your property was home to a local hero or villain, a famous historical figure, or the subject of local folklore.

• Contact HM Land Registry if your home was built before 1993, they will then search through their records to see what they have.
• If your home was built after 1993 you will need to complete the HC1 form and send it to HM Land Registry.
• www.findmypast.co.uk also has a useful database that you can search by address or a person’s name with records from 1841 to 1911.

How to Find Sold House Prices

You may also find it interesting to track the sale price of your home through the ages, and it will be an interesting addition to all the data you have already amassed.

Here are some online resources you can use in your search to find the price that your home has sold for in the past:

• www.gov.uk    
• www.landregistry.data.gov.uk
• www.rightmove.co.uk lists the sales prices of homes since May 2000
• www.nethouseprices.com list sales date from January 1995 

Pre 1995 the sold prices for homes were not recorded by the Land Registry so you will likely only find that information in documents you uncover whilst tracing the history of your home. 

You could even try the archives of local newspapers that may have listed homes for sale in their papers. You may just strike lucky and find your home.

Bonus Idea: How to Create a Time Capsule of Your Home

You know how much fun, and hard work, it has been trying to discover the history of your house, so why not leave a time capsule in your home for future homeowners to discover?

How to Store Time Capsule Contents

You will want an airtight, waterproof container that does not allow light in which could damage the contents. Stainless steel or plastic tubes with airtight lids are ideal.

Put each item into a ziplock bag or glass jar so that if an item does leach ink, for example, it will not damage other items.

Ideas for Things to Include in a Home Time Capsule

Your time capsule should include things that will not deteriorate over time. Only include electronic media if you include the means to play it.

Your house time capsule could include such items as:

• Copies of the house history you have discovered
• Photos of the home when you bought it
• Photos of your home after any renovations you make
• A picture of you
• A coin
• A grocery shop receipt
• Newspapers or magazines
• A letter from yourself telling the future owners all about your life and the world in which we live today.

Where to Put a Time Capsule

Ideally, you will want to hide the capsule in a cool, dark, damp-free place. Avoid places like the attic or basement. It is best not to bury the capsule in the garden.

You could just keep the time capsule in a cupboard or you could choose to bury it in a wall.

Good luck with researching the history of home and hopefully you will make a time capsule for future generations to find.

Come back and tell us in the comments below what you put in your capsule, and if you found out some amazing things about your new home.

And if you are moving, don’t forget to visit our home moving blog to learn lots of ways to make your home move easier and cheaper whilst avoiding the pitfalls of moving home.