to ask how old you think my house is?

[EmmaGrundyForPM]

We moved into our new house last month. We have been given 2 dates as to when it was built and don't know which is correct.

The house has a large hallway then three rooms off it - kitchen to the left, reception room to the right, then another reception room behind the first one. So L shape.

It has its original sash windows, there is a picture rail in every main room. There are fire places but I'm not sure if they are original, so won't post a photo of those.

Solid brick building with no cavity walls.

Any house historians out there? Or anyone who wants to hazard a guess?

What do the interior doors look like?

My guess is 1930s from those pics.

1924, then.

The porch is curious as it really does look like a later add-on.

Yes, we did think that was likely, but then thought that maybe they bought it with the house already there, it's not clear from the deeds. The initials scratched on the porch might have been done later. However, there's no record of anyone else owning the land or house previously.

As you have the name of the owners I would suggest searching for them in the 1911 and 1921 census (often available to search for free online at your local library). You would then see if they were living in your house at those dates.

If you contact the Land Registry people they'll have some records, you can obtain some online records by going to their website but it also gives you advice on how to apply for information, if you don't have a copy of the deeds and you have a mortgage then it may be worth applying to whoever you're mortgaged with (assuming you have a mortgage that is).

1910’would be my guess it looks a lot like our old house from that period

I don't think it's Victorian. My house was built 1912 and your house looks of a different era, I would say later. Did your survey not state the true age? Why is there 2 dates?

Sorry missed the update re dates

I’d say Edwardian. But have a look at the OS Map for it.

I am surprised the walls are solid and not cavity walls if it was built in the 1920s. It looks like a lovely home , with loads of potential.

1910 isn’t out of the question.

land was traditionally owned by the big local landowners. Tennants built houses and lived in them for (by modern standards) low rents, but never owned outright.

that changed after WWI when inheritance tax was brought in, and the big landowners found themselves having to sell off property to cover death duties.

hence people bought houses that they themselves had built and already lived in for years.

@EmmaGrundyForPM happy to look up census details for you if you'd like to PM details .

@schnauzerbeard ...the Victorian era was officially from 1839 to 1901, there were many architectural variations in that time, they are often classified as early, mid and late Victorian in design for that reason.

Our house was built in 1927 which we discovered through our neighbour. The first time it changed hands was 1962 and that was the first (and last) entry on the deeds. It is difficult sometimes when a house is built as a one and not part of general development.

It’s definitely not Georgian!

Those windows look late Victorian/Edwardian to me. I’d say 1910 is the date.

Thanks for all the responses. I can't remember where the 1910 date came from, but we were definitely told that date at some point.

The complicating factor is that the house belonged to the commercial laundry which sat behind the house, and the person who we think the house was built for was the manager of the laundry. At some point he owned the laundry, but that's all very unclear as to dates and time lines. It's possible that he was working for the laundry (and living in the managers house) in 1910 but then bought the plot itself from the laundry in 1923.

I had thought of looking at the census for 1911 and 1921 but couldn't see how to do that without joining some genealogy site.

In a way its irrelevant, but it would be nice to know.

If you go onto find my past you can search by address and see if the house existed on the census in 1911 and 1921 with just a free account I think. You can’t see the details unless you pay but you can pay per item if you want not a subscription. My house was built around 1908 and we have researched our house on there!

I was going to say 1920’s. Mock Victorian or Georgian. But the overall look feels 20th century.

Beautiful house! I would have said 20's from the look of the outside but that's an absolute armature guess!
Skirting board wise, they look original but we bought this style when renovating our 60's built house so could be a new addition? Either way they're lovely.
Enjoy your new home x

Many thanks for this excellent tip. I’ve been researching a building- totally ineffectually as it turns out, and this has really helped. I think I may start my own thread!

Hello. I do this for a living! Either date could be right stylistically from what I can see, though I would have said about 1910 without your additional info.

Historic Ordnance Survey maps will solve it for you. The second edition was published in about 1903 in most areas, and the third in about 1920. If it’s not shown on either, then 1924 will be right. County archives will be able to give you access to copies of the maps. Are you in the West Country? There is a website called Know Your Place covering most counties in the region where those maps have been digitised and are available as map layers.

That's really kind of you. I'll send you a PM in my lunch break - better go and do some work now!

I would say Edwardian. Ours was built in 1908 and looks similar. Also East Anglia. Looks lovely.

God knows. I know you say the porch is original but it is ghastly and looks very unsympathetic to the house.

The bricks look like more.for the later date. It reminds me of Welwyn Garden City buildings.