First blog – Welcome!

Why house histories? You’d be surprised.

If you’ve found yourself on this site – Welcome! I imagine you have an interest in history or houses or both, but if you’re still uncertain about the whole idea then pause a moment and think about your home or the buildings that surround you. If you stop and reflect on how long they’ve been there, try and imagine all the stories of people who have lived there. Soon you’ll not only uncover the story of how the building may have changed but you’ll find an almost never-ending supply of stories of people lives through the centuries.

It has now been over three years since I started researching the history of houses for Chesterton Humberts (formerly Chesterton) and it has been a rollercoaster ride of medieval hall houses, country cottages, London townhouses and everything in-between. Ultimately, I research the history of houses to highlight the value in homes, whether you’re the owner hoping to sell or let or you’re looking to purchase or rent your new perfect home!

Researching the history of a house can be a real adventure, uncovering an array of mysteries but ultimately bringing life to one of our most treasured possessions – our home. We all have an attachment to our homes in one way or another – there is an indescribable emotional attachment to where we live and the concept of ‘home’ that makes our houses very important.

You may be thinking, ‘Oh, but I don’t own an old house’ – you’d be surprised how much history you can still find in a house that is just 50 years old as well as the ones that are 500 years old. Check out the link to some of my earlier house histories to see a few examples!

My daily adventures through old books, maps, microfilm readers and dusty documents allow me to put the scattered pieces of the story of a house together. There have been some fantastic discoveries as well as frustrating dead-ends, but whatever the house, there will always be a story to tell. Whether your house was formerly home to a famous resident, the old village shop or has been in the same family for hundreds of years!

Watch this space for more blogs on my adventures researching the history of houses!