BECOME A HOUSE HISTORIAN

Tap into these resources to unveil the hidden secrets of your home

LOCAL RECORD OFFICE Find yours at gov.uk/ search-local-archives. Ask the archivist to help you search for historical maps, documents and photos related to your house. Most will do this for free, but some charge a small fee.

HISTORIC ENGLAND Search for your property for free in the list of nationally protected historic buildings at historicengland.org.uk/ listing/the-list. If it’s included, you’ll learn when it was built and why it’s architecturally significant. Even if it’s not, similar buildings nearby can provide valuable info.

CENSUSES Access via ancestry.co.uk and findmypast.co.uk. It’s free to search, but you’ll need to pay to read the results. Your local record office will have a free version you can view in person.

NEWSPAPERS Browse newspapers.com, included

in a subscription to ancestry.co.uk. Search your property name, the names of previous occupants and the names of local villages and market towns.

OLD PHOTOGRAPHS As well as looking in your local record office, try a quick Google image search for your area or visit The Frances Frith Collection (francisfrith.com) and type in the name of your village.

GENERAL HISTORY For archives dating from the medieval period, including local history and parish documents, go to britishhistory.ac.uk. A Vision of Britain (visionofbritain. org.uk) is also excellent. Archi UK (archiuk.com) has a wealth of old maps, aerial photographs and details of archaeological sites that might be near you.

LOCAL HISTORY NETWORKS Find yours at local-history.co.uk.