House History Starter Pack

House history has recently become a boom business, thanks partly to such television programmes as "The House Detectives", "The 1900 House", "The 1940's House" and "The Edwardian Country House". Every property, even a relatively modern one, has a unique story just waiting to be discovered. If you don't know where to start, the "House History Starter Pack" should be of use. A booklet packed with expert information accompanies 21 record sheets based on the main house history sources, enabling users to plan research and record findings. Readers will uncover not only the history of the fabric of a house, but also fasciniating clues about the people who used to live there. The contents include: census record sheets for 1841, 1851-1881 and 1891-1901; a wills record sheet; a 1840s tithe apportionment survey sheet; a 1910 valuation office survey sheet; an Ordnance Survey summary sheet; an estate map sheet; a tithe deed sheet; and an ownership summary sheet.

Nick Barratt is a specialist researcher for the BBC, where he has researched the houses featured in the last four series of The House Detectives as well as contributing to a number of other historical programmes. Formerly a reader adviser at the Public Record Office, he is also the author of Tracing the History of your House (PRO, 2001), and has written several pieces on house history for magazines and newspapers including The Times, Radio Times and Ancestors. He lives in Surbiton, Surrey.