Archival resources
Rate books, electoral registers and census returns can offer information on those who lived in your house in the past. Early maps, particularly Ordnance Survey maps, can help in dating property. Old photographs and illustrations in local museums and guidebooks may provide evidence of former uses and show how the property looked before alteration or extension.
County archives are a rich source of documentary evidence. As a result of the compulsory registration of land transfers, very few owners are now lucky enough to retain previous title deeds and other documents, but some areas - Middlesex in particular - have deeds registries going back to the eighteenth century. These are generally not easy to work with, but, in combination with census returns and trade and local directories, they can be a good guide to previous owners and their occupations. If it can be established that the property once formed part of the estate of a well-known local family or corporate body, their papers may be deposited in a public archive. The website www.a2a.org.uk is a good place to start combing existing English archives.
The National Archives (formerly the Public Record Office) at Kew has extensive records of properties in which the state has, or may at some time have had, an interest. Good examples are the Crown Estate archives, those of the early railway companies and former military or naval properties.
Understanding a historic building and its setting is the key to successfully conserving it, and an integral part of good conservation practice.
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Many people live in historic houses – researching their history can be surprising and rewarding.
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