Delving into building history
Would you like to find out more about the history of your house?
Do you want to research any historic building? Is it in the United Kingdom or Ireland?
If so this guide by Jean Manco will start you on the detective trail. Some information could be just a few clicks away, but to get the full story you will need to visit libraries and archives. Researching Historic Buildings points the way.
It includes hints on planning a research programme, and clues to finding and understanding useful sources. There are bibliographies on everything from architects to Victorian architecture. There are quick guides to archives. There are introductions to a wide range of building types and architectural styles, plus the development of towns and villages. Eccesiastical sources are such a big topic that the Church gets a section to itself.
Please note that 
of any type is not accepted anywhere
on this website. This includes paid links, text, images, and articles. I am
always pleased to receive news of genuine interest to my readers, but that does
not include commercial websites and services.
Help
Choose a section from the top menu. Then use the side menu to explore.
- A good place to start is pointers to help you plan your research.
- Gazetteers and inventories will lead you to what is on record about an historic building.
- Do you know who designed the building? See the books and links on architects and engineers.
- Local history suggests books to help you ferret out and understand the local context.
- Towns and villages may help to place the building in its setting.
- Maps and images are the best place to start looking beyond the printed page.
- Though the most important thing to look at is the building itself.
- Select the type of building for an outline history of the type and any studies, gazetteers and specific sources.
- The style section takes a brief look at British architectural styles and lists further reading.
- By this time you may be ready for a trip to the library. See tracking down the book you want.
- The next move is to take the plunge into archives. Save time through careful preparation.
- This whole website is printer-friendly.
News and site updates
Irish Chancery Letters online
CIRCLE: A Calendar of Irish Chancery Letters c. 1244 - 1509 brings together all known letters enrolled on the Irish chancery rolls during the Middle Ages (1244–1509). The Irish chancery was the office of the great seal of the king used in Ireland. It produced two series of enrolments: patent and close rolls. These cover the full range of royal activity in Ireland, which includes grants of lands, so there is useful material here for building historians. Meanwhile British History Online continues to make available materials for British history. I have extended my list of Crown Records on Medieval manors and their records to take account of the records so helpfully becoming available online. 16 May 2012.
Scottish Valuation Rolls 1915 go online
The team behind Scotlands People has been busily digitising a useful source from the National Archives of Scotland. The Valuation Rolls from 1855 to 1989 record the names of the owner and occupier of each property, in order for local authorities to set rates. The Valuation Roll for 1915 is the first to go online. 30 March 2012.
Harper road books
A century ago Charles G. Harper wrote a series of books on the major roads of Great Britain (mainly England). The text was popular and may not be of much interest, but they were illustrated with his own sketches, along with old prints and drawings. These include many view of inns. I'm happy to see that Project Gutenberg has digitized three of these now: his first, The Brighton Road (1892), plus The Dover Road (1895) and The Bath Road (1899). Meanwhile the Internet Archive can offer a good selection of his road books, including The Portsmouth Road and its Tributaries : to-day and in days of old (1895), The Exeter Road : the story of the west of England highway (1899), The Great North Road : the old mail road to Scotland (1901, revised 1922), The Holyhead Road : the mail-coach road to Dublin (1902), vol. 1 and vol. 2, The Cambridge, Ely and King's Lynn Road : the great Fenland highway (1902), The Newmarket, Bury, Thetford and Cromer Road : sport and history on an East Anglian turnpike (1904), The Oxford, Gloucester and Milford Haven Road : the ready way to South Wales (1905), The Hastings Road and the "Happy springs of Tunbridge" (1906) and The Manchester and Glasgow Road : this way to Gretna Green (1907). 7 February 2012.
Harmondsworth Barn acquired for nation
Good
news. The largest, best preserved medieval timber barn still standing in
England has
been bought by English Heritage. The barn is a masterpiece of carpentry,
built in 1426 by Winchester College as part of its manor farm at Harmondsworth,
now absorbed into Greater London. The primary aim is to preserve this Grade I
listed structure from decay. The bonus for the public is that the barn will be
open for free two Sundays a month between April and October 2012, with plans to
open it every Sunday from next year. 30 January 2012.