The Full Story | House History Research Service
Looking for a full history of your house?
The Full Story by Oak & Willow Cottages is an in-depth, extensively researched history of your home – particularly suited to pre-1920 properties, where the depth of available records allows a far richer story to be uncovered. It brings together the lives of former residents, the evolution of the property, and the wider historical context into an A5 booklet about your home.
The Full Story House History is for properties with historical depth and extensive surviving records, uncovering not only who lived there, but depth and detail about their lives in the home, what they experienced, the times they lived through, and how the house developed throughout those time periods.
Prices start at £795 | Presented as an A5 perfect bound booklet (28+ pages) + digital archive
+ (optional) A3 Wall Art print on premium Giclée paper
Current lead times: 10-14 weeks
Key Features:
- Extensive, multi-source research drawing from a wide range of historical and genealogical records
- Research is led by what is available for the property, exploring as many available records where they exist
- Deep dive into former residents’ lives in the home
- Narrative-led storytelling, bringing the elements of your home’s story together
- Exploration of the property’s evolution over time
- Includes a beautifully designed A5 perfect bound booklet
Ideal as a gift, housewarming present, or for proudly displaying the heritage of your home.
“I’m blown away. I love it. It’s even better than I imagined.”
– Emma, Sunderland
Further Details
The Full Story House History
A rich, in-depth historical journey into your home’s past. The Full Story package is our most comprehensive research package currently available, suitable for pre-1920 homes.
Prices start at £795 (interest-free payment options available at checkout)
Every house history is unique, and the stories are led by discoveries in the records. Research may uncover:
- The lives of former residents in depth – from occupations and family dynamics to significant life events and personal circumstances
- Historical and social context surrounding each household, revealing what life would have looked like for them across different decades
- Multi-general occupancy, revealing how families moved through and shaped the home over time
- Household structures and living arrangements, showing how the property was actually lived in and used day-today- across different periods
- The evolution of the property, from its earliest records through to later changes and uses.
- Newspaper mentions, notable events, unexpected stories connected to the house or its residents throughout the decades
- Connections to the wider community, placing the home within its local and historical setting
- An in-depth narrative account that brings together people, place, and time into a cohesive history
Two editions of this package are available:
- Booklet Edition: Your house history is presented as a long-form narrative across an A5 booklet (perfect bound, minimum 28 pages) telling the story of your home £795
- Complete Edition: Choose to also include an A3 Wall Art print £950
Ideal as a gift, housewarming present, or for proudly displaying the heritage of your home.
Extended written narrative weaving together residents, records, and historical context, displayed across an A5 booklet, with the option to also include an A3 Wall Print as well.
A digital archive including a digital copy of your house history, and some of the key records uncovered in the research
Package Options:
- Booklet Edition (£795) – An A5 printed perfect bound booklet with the full extended narrative — a lasting keepsake for your shelves or coffee table
- Complete Edition (£950) – A5 booklet plus an A3 wall art print: the ultimate keepsake package
Prices include a Feasibility Check to confirm what records survive for your home. This takes 1-2 weeks to complete. If the records suggest a different package would be more suitable, we’ll let you know and you’ll have the option to change your order. In the event that not enough records survive for your property to complete your chosen package, you’ll have the option to reduce your package
Choose from several available patterns to be incorporated into the design of your booklet and wall art, ensuring the final products fit with your home and personal style.
When including an A3 Wall Art in your package, you can choose the print-only option, or elevate your order with a sleek, black, oak, white, or antique style wooden & glass gallery frame, so that your house history arrives ready to display.
Research Scope
The Full Story House History by Oak & Willow Cottages includes comprehensive investigation of former residents, tracing occupancy across multiple generations where records allow.
This package involves the widest and deepest range of research available, going far beyond the basic census and directory entries, exploring multiple relevant collections to uncover the lives of your home’s former residents and the context they lived in.
All available digitally accessible record collections relevant to your address, including (but not limited to)
- Parish records (baptisms, marriages, burials)
- Tithe & Land Tax Surveys
- Historic maps and property boundaries, including tithe records
- Broad Collection of Newspapers (local and national coverage)
- Trade directories and rate books
- Military service records
- Institutional records (workhouses, asylums, schools)
- Court and criminal records (crime and punishment)
- Probate and wills
Together, these sources build a detailed and human-centred picture of your home’s past, weaving individual stories into the wider history of the property and its community across multiple decades.
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 full story take?
The current lead time for the Full Story is 10-14 weeks. Weeks 1-2 are spent completing your Feasibility Check. Completing the research itself can then take up to 10 weeks, plus then compiling the records, writing, designing, printing, and shipping your final product.
Can I commission a house history as a gift?
Yes – the Full Story is a generous 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.
