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Original poster

My 1930s house just doesn't look 1930s - why?

58 replies

Devora · 30/03/2015 16:50

I've moaned on here before about how my 1930s semi has had every original feature ripped out. When I first saw it I thought it was 1950s. But a neighbour argued with me the other day that it COULDN'T be 1930s because it has no bay windows etc, and it got me thinking.

I know it must be 1930s because the deeds say it was built in 1930. My neighbours (the adjoining bit of the semi) still have some original features that are clearly 30s: doors etc. But the frontage doesn't look remotely 30s. Why would this be? Could it have suffered bad bomb damage in the war, and had to have the front rebuilt? (I know there were bombs in our street.) Any ideas on how I could find out? Are there any clues on the inside that would indicate that the whole thing is indeed younger than 1930? (I'm aware features like doors could be added at any time.)

(I know this isn't important, and yes I do have better things to do with my time, but it's like a brain worm niggling away at me.)

OP posts:
Original poster
Devora · 31/03/2015 01:20

You are fantastic, Sorry. Can't believe you've found the people who appear to have lived in this house for its first 30 years!

OP posts:
SurelyYoureJokingMrFeynman · 31/03/2015 08:40

Oh Devora! Sad I've just found one of the neighbour's sons died in early June 1944, and was in the Glider Pilot Regiment.

He must have been part of the D-Day landings...

(Was taking a quick look at the neighbours for social context, given the naice 1900s houses.)

Pipbin · 31/03/2015 08:42

Where do I find the voter registration for my street?

SurelyYoureJokingMrFeynman · 31/03/2015 08:58

Ancestry.co.uk has a reasonable collection of electoral rolls online - but it's by no means guaranteed to cover your area.

Otherwise try your local library or archives.

And so as not to sound like I'm pimping for Ancestry, another family history source is findmypast.co.uk. There are a few things they do better than Ancestry - eg they have a superb collection of military records, including Chelsea pension records back to the Napoleonic wars.

Then there's FreeBMD.org.uk , which does what it says on the tin. This transcription of BMD indexes was started by volunteers long before Ancestry, etc came on the scene.

It's also worth googling family history societies for your local area - there are decades of transcriptions and research published by some of these.

Original poster
Devora · 31/03/2015 09:13

Oh that's sad, Surely. Do you mind telling me which number?

This morning I have enrolled my children in the project - this is VERY satisfying Smile

I've also looked at the site which shows maps of where major bombs were dropped, and there were a lot here. I think because of the Lock (a lot of boats went to Dunkirk from here) and also the National Physical Laboratory.

OP posts:
SurelyYoureJokingMrFeynman · 31/03/2015 10:28

Your road is just so interesting, Devora! Bit of everything!

SoupDreggon · 31/03/2015 10:32

Something that can be interesting is the historical imagery on Google Earth.

There is some for my area from 1945 and some of the houses are missing/haven't been built yet.

Original poster
Devora · 31/03/2015 23:39

Soup - I hadn't heard about that. Will take a look.

Surely - you are a complete marvel. For the benefit of anyone still reading, Surely has sent me a load of PMs with amazing facts about the history of my street. War heroes, the lot! For anyone looking for a new hobby: this is seriously good fun.

OP posts:
SurelyYoureJokingMrFeynman · 31/03/2015 23:49

It's a teensy weensy bit addictive. Wink

RingtheBells · 01/04/2015 07:23

How interesting, our house is 1930's, when I get home from work I am going to have a proper read of the thread and do a bit of delving Smile

SoupDreggon · 01/04/2015 07:43

The google earth imagery is good as you can have the current roads shown on top. It's interesting how there are odd gaps in the houses in my set of roads. I guess not all areas will have it.

My house was built in 1934 - it is written in a patch of rendering on the chimney breast in the loft along with a picture of a cats arse and the name "Speedy Williamson" :)

SoupDreggon · 01/04/2015 07:44

I would like to know why my house has an extra long garden with a brick lined underground "bunker".

Original poster
Devora · 01/04/2015 11:26

Soup - I want to know that too! (About your garden, I mean.)

OP posts:
SoupDreggon · 01/04/2015 11:31

It is only small but it is fully brick lined, has a proper doorway with a lintel and brick build steps leading down to the doorway. The roof (flat to the ground) is about 5 inches thick, sollid concrete. I think it was used as an air raid shelter but I don't think it was originally that as it seems far too substantial - the ground is solid chalk under about a foot of top soil so it would have been hard to dig out!

SoupDreggon · 01/04/2015 11:32

I fantasise about building a garden "office" over it so the office has a cellar...

drspouse · 01/04/2015 11:51

I just came across this which looks interesting.

We are in the process of buying a flat which will be to rent out but which is 1930s and does actually have quite a few period features including some furniture which would be lovely to have but tenants may not be as nice to it as we'd hope so maybe it's better just to get Ikea stuff...

wavingfuriously · 02/04/2015 14:48

soup - air raid shelter ? my Grandparents house had one of those..

wavingfuriously · 02/04/2015 14:49

oops sorry soup - just reread your thread..but the shelters were v.substantially built !

morethanpotatoprints · 02/04/2015 15:47

devora

i hope you realise that you now have a new hobby that will be so time consuming Grin

I started Ancestry about 5 years ago, so I could at least tell my dc about their roots, as I hadn't met any blood family.
I got the bug and am now back to the late 1600's in some parts. Grin

Hey, this could be your next hobby, genealogy.

Gatekeeper · 03/04/2015 08:35

my house was built in 1937 and have failed to find any photos on the internet to show how it looked Sad. Devora were the original planning applications easy to find on your local council website; have looked on mine and can't find any

We inherited an air raid shelter and donated it to Beamish museum (they nearly took my hand off when offered it to them) and it now resides in all its glory in the 1940's farm section. Mean lot never offered us a free pass to go and look at it though Hmm

SurelyYoureJokingMrFeynman · 03/04/2015 16:03

Sorry I couldn't find anything directly about your house online, Gatekeeper, though as I said I'm sure the archives will be helpful.

I was reading a 1930 newspaper article about one of your pits closing and 1200 hands being laid off. Same page has an article about a strike:

"...The trouble arose as a result of a decision on the part of management to 'play' the pit Saturday and today. For some weeks past the pit has 'played' for two days each week, and this had caused a grievance among the workers, for if the pit had 'played' three days, they would have been entitled to unemployment benefit.

The men maintained that it was possible to work on these lines, but the colliery management did not agree, putting forward the view that they had to work the pit according to orders for coal they received."

Some issues just never go away.

Gatekeeper · 03/04/2015 16:07

ain't that the truth; my husband remembers lean times around him back in the eighties during the miners strike . The me used to go to the nearbye woods to cut down trees for fuel. I worked in a dole office during those times and still remember the women coming in with their children and crying as they had no money Sad

Bifald · 03/04/2015 17:06

I used to rent a small semi that was 1930s. It was very simple, no period features such as stained glass in the stairwell. My Dad's house was like that and it was beautiful. The cottage I rented, there were 8 of them, near a big church and they were built for staff of the parish. Now they are privately owned. I had the same as you, I was told that the house I was renting was 1950s and the first few times I corrected person's mistake but clearly they were just being polite saying 'oh really?' and continued to make the mistake again and again.

juneybean · 03/04/2015 17:10

I didn't know about the 1931 census! That's made me sad! My nana was born 1930 and I was looking forward to seeing her on the census (Albeit in 15 years!)

Pipbin · 03/04/2015 17:15

1921 census is due out in 2012.

We've had 2012 haven't we? (I've lost count, how can this really be 2015 ffs, thats in the future). Do you mean 2021?

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