House History Tool – Online Research Guide
Quick Links
Page 8 of 8
8. Recommended Web Sites
If you are planning to visit any institutions such as the British Library or the National Archives, we strongly advise you to visit:
This site will help you to identify the location of any specific documents which you may be looking for and allow you to search the holdings of the institutions.
Record Centres, Archives and Information
Ancestry.co.uk maintains an extensive archive of records from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, including census records along with civil, ecclesiastical and immigration records and copies of old newspapers. This site also contains detailed information about the census.
http://www.familyrecords.gov.uk/frc/default.htm
The Family Records Centre website The centre can provide a range of historical information and will be useful in searching the history of past residents of your house. The centre holds family records for England and Wales, and the site will help you plan your visit.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
The National Archives of England, Wales and the United Kingdom has one of the largest archival collections in the world, spanning 1000 years of British history, from Doomsday Book of 1086 to government papers recently released to the public.
Public Record Office of Northern Ireland This contains freeholder records and offers interesting advice on how to investigate local buildings of historic interest, such as your local school.
The National Archives of Scotland The NAS holds records spanning from the 12th to the 21st centuries, covering an array of subjects relating to Scottish life. This is a valuable resource for anyone looking for Scottish historical documents and to check that they hold the document that you are looking for before you visit.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/palaeography/
National Archives – Reading Old Handwriting This page will provide you with invaluable advice on how to decipher old UK handwriting, improving the time efficiency of your searches.
Scottish Handwriting This is a great site, and gives you tutorials and guides in understanding and reading Scottish handwriting and texts. This is ideal for anyone looking at Scottish records from 1500 to 1800.
Architecture, Gardens & Interiors
Bricks and Brass This site is an excellent and interesting way to discover the period of your house though the identification of the dates of different architectural features and style.
Looking at Buildings Here you can access detailed descriptions of architectural aspects. It also enables you to explore a selection of historic buildings by county.
Victorian London Under its architecture and housing sections, this site provides fascinating insight into houses in the Victorian period, not just in London. If your house was built in this period, it can help you to discover who the intended inhabitants of properties of a variety of sizes were. It contains extracts written by Charles Dickens on the state of housing and details of Victorian housing law. It contains a list of links to other sites with Victorian related content which could be of interest.
http://www.britainexpress.com/architecture/index.htm
Britain Express – English Architecture English architecture did not, of course, follow a rigid timeline, with clear divisions between periods and styles of building. This site is an attempt to organize themes and philosophies of building styles in a rough chronological order, realising that many periods overlapped each other and many styles may well have been in use in the same region or even in the same building at the same time.
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~wykedh/webgeorge/index.htm
Georgian Seafront Architecture This page uses Weymouth as a case study of Georgian architecture. Detailing how the Georgian period inspired an interest in gardening; different features of a Georgian house, and where and why they were constructed. Accounts of building materials and typical house layouts are also included.
http://www.britainexpress.com/History/english-gardens.htm
Britain Express – English Gardens This is a comprehensive history of the garden, both private and public, and descriptions of stylistic features of each era. The Tudor, Stuart, Georgian and Victorian sections include information on architectural patterns and typical gardens from each of these eras.
http://www.geffrye-museum.org.uk
The Geffrye Museum This website for the Geffrye Museum of English domestic interior contains a selection of virtual tours of house interiors, including 18th and 19th century period rooms.
Maps and Photos
Old Maps This site includes a near complete set of first series Ordnance Survey maps of England, Wales and Scotland. Use with a hard copy of a modern map to trace where you live and study how your local area has changed.
Francis Frith This site hosts a variety of old maps including a selection of Victorian county maps. By entering your postcode, you can view a historic map of your area.
Street Map Up-to-date online maps with detailed street maps - search by postcode, place name, street name or grid reference.
Local History
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
Wikipedia – The Free Encyclopaedia This site is an excellent resource for searching for information on your local history. Draw upon our advice in ‘Google It’, search initially by town and then search local landmarks from your area. This site should help you find information which will further your research.
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk
English Heritage If you live in London, this site can be used to discover the location of any blue plaques in your vicinity. You can also use it to find out more about any estates or old properties in your surrounding area. Comprehensive information on artistic interiors and exteriors, the reason why the building was built and historic gardens are included.
The National Library of Wales This library holds every printed work published in Britain and Ireland since 1911. It houses thousands of manuscripts, pictures, photographs, maps, sound recordings and moving images. Check this website before planning to visit the library to ensure they hold the information you are looking for.
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/
British History Online This is a free digital library containing some of the core printed primary and secondary sources from medieval to modern British Isles History. Draw upon our advice in the “Google It” section and utilise this sites search facility.
British Association for Local History This provides useful advice on the best ways to investigate the history of your area, and offers you the opportunity to join groups of local historians.
Charles Booth Online Archive This site is London specific. It contains fascinating insight into the research compiled by Charles Booth regarding life and labour in the capital between 1886 and 1903. You can view poverty maps which colour code the intensity of the poverty in specific areas during this period.
8. Next Steps
We hope you have found this guide helpful and you have managed to find plenty of information to input into your timeline and enter into the competition.
Read our resident genealogy expert Dr Nick Barratt’s article on finding more information for your Hidden House History at your local record offices, institutions, libraries and museums.
Learn about what your house’s architecture, garden and interior can tell you about your house history by reading our resident architectural historian and archaeologist, Dr Jonathan Foyle’s article.
