We have developed various products and services for people who love their homes, and want to explore the history behind the bricks and mortar.
Our expert historians conduct detailed and comprehensive research in archives, museums, libraries and local study centres. They use the results of a recommended 4-6 day search to compile an illustrated report, covering the construction history of your house and assessing its likely build date. The report analyses the social and historical context of your home, describing local and national events that would have affected the people who lived in it as well as the community in which it stands. Biographies of key owners and occupiers are included, people that considered it to be their home as well.
Click HERE to see the main steps we take when researching your house
Our architectural historians can analyse domestic buildings and prepare illustrated reports, assigning construction dates, structural evolution and internal space usage alongside floor plans and build phase diagrams. They will spend a day with you at your house, taking photographs and making notes whilst examining the clues within the fabric of the property. Feel free to ask questions as they work – you’ll see your house in a completely different way! We particularly specialise in the analysis of listed buildings, though we cover all property types from all periods.
All our written reports are sent to you as a PDF file via email on approval, before being printed and bound. We include a CD containing digital images of all relevant documents examined during the research, creating a personal archive for your house. There is also a list of further searches, in case you want to continue the research beyond the amount of time you’ve commissioned.
Do you remember the BBC TV series ‘House Detectives’? Have you ever wanted a ‘Grand Designs’ episode for your home? We can create a bespoke film about your house, documenting the lives of former residents, explaining all the key architectural features, or capturing the restoration process as you bring it back to its former glory. Combining historical research, architectural analysis and broadcast quality production values, this is a unique film about the house you love.
Why not buy a gift certificate for a special occasion – a birthday, anniversary or Christmas – that entitles the recipient to one of the above packages? We can provide a printed document on parchment-style paper, or send you a file via email for you to personalise.
We work with a range of associates who can provide specialist analytical services that you might have seen on television – dendrochronology, geo-physics, archaeological appraisals – as well as other products and gifts such as:
Old maps of your house
Framed artist’s impressions of how your house looked in the past
Framed images and documents
If you are looking to research the history of a larger property – a stately home, a restoration project or a heritage conservation area, for example – why not visit our sister site, Vivat Heritage.
To find out more about house history, click HERE.
To discover how we work, click HERE.
Or CONTACT US for a free quote, further information or a sample report