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.
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.
- Should this site go down, you will find an archive copy at the UK Web Archiving Consortium.
News and site updates
Pillboxes and dragon's teeth
The original reports from The Defence Areas Project, which examined preparations for the defence of Britain in 1940/41 against the threat of German invasion, can now be downloaded from the Archaeological Data Service. 16 November 2009.
Edinburgh: History of my house
Edinburgh City Libraries and Edinburgh World Heritage have organised a week-long series of events on house history in the city, starting on 23 November, when the Central Library will be hosting special surgeries where members of staff will help guide those interested in researching their house history. 7 November 2009.
Scotland: Building for the Future
Despite the title, Scotland: Building for the Future is actually a conference about buildings of the past - but not the distant past. It aims to promote discussion on the protection of Scotland’s post-war architectural heritage. The conference will be held on 24 November at Bonar Hall, University of Dundee. The cost is moderate at £15, which includes lunch, and places can be booked online through the website. 7 November 2009
V&A online
The Victoria and Albert Museum has been gradually feeding more and more images of its collections into its searchable online database. It recently celebrated a landmark. There are now one million records in the system. These include imagery of interest to building historians, such as architectural designs, historic photographs of buildings, topographical drawings and paintings. There is also a collection of architectural sculpture. Tip: if you find an image of interest, you can click on its category (such as architecture) to find similar images. 31 October 2009.
Heritage Research Presentation Awards
Archaeologists and building historians have a fortnight to get in their applications for these awards backed by the official heritage bodies of the UK and Republic of Ireland. Each short-listed entrant will give a presentation of 20 minutes to an audience at the Archaeology 2010 Conference at the British Museum on Friday 26 February 2010. There is an open first prize of £1500, a runner-up prize of £500, and an under-30 prize of £500. 31 October 2009.
Early Irish Maps
The National
Archives holds more than 60 different maps of plantations, fortifications and
townships in Ireland during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I. They are
among the earliest cartographic representations of Ireland. So popular are they
with researchers that they have been added to the Documents Online service.
Search is free, but there is a charge of £3.50 to download a digital version.
28 October 2009.
3D Cities in Google Earth
In addition to Street View, which was extended to the UK in March, Google Earth offers views of selected cities in photo-realistic 3D. Last month three cities in the British Isles were added: Dublin, Cardiff and Birmingham. Google Earth has also been enlarging its database of individual buildings in 3D, which now includes 3D tours of castles and palaces in Europe, and bridges and cathedrals world-wide. Some of you may also be interested in the reconstruction of Ancient Rome which has been available for a year or so, introduced by the video below. 24 October 2009.
Monastic Wales
This new online database of monastic sites in Wales deserves a welcome. The project is a collaboration between the University of Wales Lampeter and the University of Aberystwyth, but an appealing feature is their invitation to other scholars to participate. Monastic Wales aims to eventually contain a full bibliography, links and research tools. It already contains a gazetteer of monastic houses, complete with map, and bibliography. 24 October 2009.
Producing reports
Building history research is often required as part of the process of gaining official permission for works, or is conducted by local or national authorities themselves. So I have added a section on working with authories to the quick report-production guide. It lists a few helpful official guides to the process. 20 October 2009.
Lost country houses
Last November I mentioned Matthew Beckett's Lost Heritage - an online memorial to vanished English country houses. Now I find via his site that Alastair Disley has been working for the last three years on Scotland's Lost Country Houses, while Tarquin Blake has been diligently recording ruined and demolished buildings in Ireland. Abandoned Ireland covers mainly country houses and castles. So all three are now listed among country house gazetteers. Meanwhile Brian Hull has created a charming website recording his pursuit of one particular lost country house: Parlington Hall in Yorkshire. 14 October 2009.
Craigievar in the pink
A two-year £500,000 facelift to return the 17th-century Aberdeenshire castle to its original look has been completed. The National Trust for Scotland's Craigievar Castle now has a traditional lime-based alternative to concrete-based harling - in a shade of pink that makes it look even more like a Walt Disney backdrop. 13 October 2009.
At risk sites on crisis list
Six British and Irish monuments have been placed on a crisis list of the World's most endangered heritage sites. BBC News has a picture slideshow of their dilapidation. 8 October 2009.
Welsh wills online
All wills proved in Welsh diocesan courts before 1858 are in the National Library of Wales. These have been digitised, together with inventories, and the images are now online. 5 October 2009.
BAJR Buildings Group
The new BAJR Federation has a Buildings Group for all those with an interest in the study, recording and conservation of historic buildings. Its members include archaeologists and building historians. 12 September 2009.
European Architectural History Network
The 1st International meeting of EAHN will be held at Guimarães, Portugal on 17-20 June 2010. It aims to increase the visibility of the discipline, and to foster transnational, interdisciplinary and multicultural approaches to the study of the built environment. See the conference website for details and the call for papers. 11 September 2009.
Swansea Interactive Map
Swansea Heritage's Interactive City Map was such a good idea that I don't know why it has taken me this long to find it. It began as a handy way to present online historic images of the city held by Swansea Museums Service. But by seeking the public's memories of the buildings in the photographs, it has succeeded in being truly interactive. 10 September 2009.