House History Portfolios | A Curated Archive of Your Home’s Past
HOUSE HISTORY PORTFOLIOS
A House History Portfolio brings together the key records behind your home’s story, from historic maps to census entries, carefully printed, organised and presented as a keepsake archive.
Looking to explore the records behind your home’s history?
The House History Portfolio is a curated collection of printed historical records, maps and research notes connected to your property, carefully gathered and presented as a keepsake archive.
Rather than a written house history, this option focuses on the evidence itself: the census entries, historic maps, directories, land tax valuations, and other surviving sources that help piece together the story of your home.
Perfect for those who love original records and want a tangible archive they can explore, keep and pass on.
The perfect way to preserve your home’s history. If you would prefer a written narrative on what the historical records reveal about your home, you can explore our Printed House History service options.
£700 | Presented as a curated printed portfolio with historic records, folded map prints and explanatory research notes presented in a keepsake box
Current lead time: 8-10 weeks
Key Features:
- Curated printed copies of key historical records connected to your property
- High-quality folded historic map prints where available
- Census entries, directory records, transcribed snippets or other key records, depending on what survives
- A saddle-stitched A5 booklet containing explanatory notes to help you understand what records are included and what they show
- Printed timeline of previous occupants or key moments in the home’s history
- Presented in beautiful archive-style keepsake box
- Ideal for those who want to explore the evidence themselves rather than receive a finished written narrative
Perfect as a thoughtful gift for a period homeowner, or as a personal archive of your own home’s past.
Further Details
The House History Portfolio
A House History Portfolio is designed for those who want a more archive-led way to explore their home’s past.
£700 (pay in three available at checkout)
Instead of turning the research into a finished narrative, this service focuses on gathering, selecting and presenting the most meaningful records connected to your property. Each portfolio is shaped by what survives, but may include:
- Historic maps showing the property and surrounding area over several periods in its history
- Census records revealing former residents, household structures and occupations
- Directory entries, electoral roll records or other address-based sources
- Transcribed newspaper snippets
- Ownership, land tax or estate records
- An A5 printed casebound hardcover book, containing research notes explaining what records are included and what they show
The findings are presented in a beautiful keepsake box. Ideal as a gift for a history-loving homeowner, a housewarming present, or for anyone who wants to preserve the evidence of their home’s past.
A curated printed portfolio of key historical records connected to your property, presented in a keepsake box.
Your portfolio will contain printed copies of key historical records associated with your property. Every portfolio is unique, but this may include census records, premium quality historic map prints, directory entries, transcribed newspaper snippets, electoral roll records, ownership clues, land tax, valuation or estate records, and other relevant findings, depending on what survives for your home.
You will also receive an A5 printed casebound hardcover book containing explanatory notes to help you understand what records are included and what they show.
Price includes a Feasibility Check to confirm what records survive for your home. This takes 1-2 weeks to complete. If the surviving records are too sparse to complete a full House History Portfolio, we’ll let you know and you’ll have the option to change your order to one of our other house history services, or you will receive a full refund, minus the cost of the Feasibility Check (£30).
Presentation
Your House History Portfolio is designed as a physical collection of records rather than a written narrative, arriving in an A4 size keep-sake box.
The focus is on presenting the evidence and preserving the records, with printed copies and maps arranged into a thoughtful, easy-to-explore format. Where prints, such as historic maps, are larger than A4 size, they will be included as folded.
Research Scope
This service draws on digital research across core historical record collections. Depending on the property, research may include census returns, historic maps, trade directories, electoral rolls, newspaper archives, land records, valuation records, birth, marriage and death indexes, probate records and archive catalogues.
The focus is on identifying and curating the most useful surviving records for your property. It does not include a full written narrative history in the style of the Snapshot, Heritage Summary or Full Story services.
Prefer a finished written history of your home?
For those who want their home’s story researched, interpreted and written for them, our Printed House Histories offer a more narrative-led option: a carefully written summary or storybook-style story, presented as a finished piece to keep, display or gift.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find out the history of my house?
The most reliable way is to commission a professional research service. We draw on historical records including census returns, parish registers, historic maps, tithe records, and local archives to build a picture of your home’s past – uncovering the families who lived there and the events that shaped it.
What records are used to research a house history?
Research typically draws on census returns, historic Ordnance Survey maps, tithe apportionments, parish registers, trade directories, newspaper archives, and local authority records. Which records survive varies by property and location, which is why every commission begins with a Feasibility Check.
How long does a house history portfolio take to product?
The current lead time for the House History Portfolio is 8-10 weeks. Weeks 1-2 are spent completing your Feasibility Check. Completing the research, compiling and printing the records, plus writing the notes then takes several weeks. Shipping of your final product takes around 2-5 working days.
Can I commission a house history as a gift?
Yes – the House History Portfolio is a perfect house history gift idea for housewarmings, milestone birthdays, anniversaries and Christmas. You can choose to order the house history in advance, and gift the final product, or if you’re short on time, we can provide a gift certificate to share with your recipient confirming the commissioning of their house history and that something exciting is on its way.
The Heirloom Collection
For customers looking for the ultimate keepsake package, we also offer the House History Heirloom Collection. This signature package is the perfect way for customers to preserve, display and share the history of their home. It brings together three of our house history products: the Full Story Complete Edition (a long-form written history of your home, laid out across both an A5 storybook and an A3 Wall Art print), the House History Portfolio: a curated physical portfolio of supporting historical records, and a framed historic map print.
