Maybe you are thinking of moving, or are just curious about the history of your home. Whatever your reason, there are many ways you can find out.
One of the most straightforward ways is to ask your local estate agent. If they are a long established company, like Argyle Estate Agents, then it’s likely they will know the local area and when certain houses were built.
For some properties, you can use a date checker online, though not all houses will have the data available.
The information you are looking for may be included in the deeds and paperwork you received when you bought the property.
Often called Title Deeds, these documents should have the purchase history of the house and can tell you when the property was first sold.
If you don’t have those documents to hand, you can contact the HM Land Registry.
The HM Land Registry charges between £3 and £9 and can give you a comprehensive history of your house. It is also your best bet if you don’t currently own the property you are living in.
You can do a bit of sleuthing yourself if you fancy it, by using the 1862 Land Register, although this will only work for houses built before 1862.
Local councils also have information you can review, but you might need to wait a while to get hold of it.
If you want to take a more leisurely route to finding out 'when was my house built?', you could contact your local historical society. Not only can they provide the date of your home, but they might even have old photos of the area and the house!
There are a number of sites you can visit online that show old photos and maps of local areas, so even if you can pin down an exact date, you may be able to get a rough timeline.
You may have heard this term and are wondering if your house is classed as a Period Home. Typically, houses are considered ‘old’ if they are over 50 years old, but period homes are much older and have other distinctive features.
For your home to be a Period Home, then is needs to fall into a specific age bracket;
Tudor – 1480-1603
Famous for: decorative black-and-white half timber styles, steeply pitched roofs, and embellished doorways
Stuart – 1603-1714
Famous for: symmetrical designs, doll-house style, and double-fronted homes
Georgian – 1714-1830
Famous for: visible brick construction, decorative window headers, and entrance columns
Victorian – 1830-1901
Famous for: towers and turrets, stained glass, and decorative woodwork
Each style of period home has different features and characteristics, so you can usually make an educated guess before finding out the exact date.
