42 A History of Dartmouth in Four Houses I


f the walls of your house could talk, what would they say? Come and join the Dartmouth History Research Group on a journey into the past by researching the history of your house and discovering its secrets. House history has


become increasingly popular in recent years. Programmes like the BBC series A House Through Time have helped to show that house history is not just about architecture – it’s about discovering the lives and experiences of the people who lived there, and about what a house can tell us and about how a local area, whether village, town or city, has grown and developed over the centuries.


We’re holding a special event from 1.30pm – 4.30pm on Saturday 18 November in the Flavel Centre, Dartmouth, which will show you how you can find out more about the history of your home, and about its owners and occupants. As examples, we’ll be looking at the histories of four of Dartmouth’s houses, at the people who built them and lived in them, and how they contributed to the town’s rich history and heritage. We’ll be starting with a house built on the Quay in Dartmouth’s prosperous heyday in the 17th


century, then


two houses in South Ford Road and Coombe Terrace illustrating life in the 18th


and 19th centuries,


and finishing with a house built in Crossparks, Townstal, in the second half of the 20th


century. As these


examples show, house history is for everyone, not just those who live in stately homes.


As we examine each house we’ll


be focusing on many different sources of local information – for example, local maps, newspapers, and directories; Dartmouth’s extensive town archives; local photographs, pictures and publications, and lots more. We’ll be discussing how you can draw on sources for family history such as censuses, civil registration and parish registers. We’ll also be looking at the sorts of challenges you might encounter when piecing together all this material – sometimes research is like a treasure hunt, sometimes


it’s like putting together a jigsaw puzzle with missing pieces and without having the picture on the lid! But that’s all part of the fun in discovering the secrets your house may hold. The event is free of charge and open to everyone. Light refreshments will be available (donations welcome). There’ll be four talks – one for each house – and lots of opportunities to ask questions and find out more. No need to book – you can just turn up on the day. We very much look forward to seeing you there!


The Dartmouth History Research Group is a not-for-profit voluntary and community group. We research the history of Dartmouth and the surrounding area and make our research available to the public through publications, our website, and events. For more information, see www.dartmouth-history.org.uk


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