Wouldn't you like to find out more about the people who once shared your four walls? According to professional historians
House Detectives, there are three main motives for people wanting to know more about the history of the building they call home.
A personal connection with home
Homeowners want to find out when it was built, and by whom; the names of past occupants, and how they lived; the reasons for a major rebuilding exercise; and the property's links with the local community.
Curiosity about a property where an ancestor once lived
Others are drawn to house history through a more personal link – a genealogical connection. Whilst researching family history, many documents record an address where our ancestors lived.
To add value to the property
The history can make a home more marketable when selling – particularly if you have an old or listed property that will attract a certain type of buyer who wants to ‘own’ a piece of heritage. When it comes to selling a house, being able to provide a full history of the property (particularly if it is an old building with an interesting past) will make it easier to sell to buyers and can even add value.
As with any piece of historical research, there is no guarantee of results – or that you will want to highlight the findings! However, if you would like to put ‘flesh on the bones’ of your family research, a good place to start is to contact professional
house historians.
Searches can uncover surviving title deeds, conveyance records and sales particulars, as well as insurance records, old photographs, illustrations, plans and architectural drawings. In addition, evidence of legal disputes, newspaper reports etc are searched for relating to the history of the house and the community.
If you are researching your family history, learning about the lives and deaths of the people through their addresses, will bring your factual research to life. Who knows, learning the story of your house and its past occupants, may make you feel differently about living there.
