Genealogy Chat

Hi everyone

I'm wondering if anyone knows if there is a way of checking if house numbers have been changed over the years. I'm guessing maybe the local council might be the authority to approach?

I like to visit towns and villages where my ancestors lived and to find the houses they lived in, if they still exist. Because of my local knowledge I know for a fact that the house where my grandfather lived was no 14 for many years but later became no 45, but anyone not knowing the area would either not find the house, or be looking at the wrong one!

I want to visit a town where one branch of my family came from and would like to be certain that any properties I might identify are in fact the houses where my family actually lived.

I would be grateful for any thoughts you might have. Thanks.

Margaret

Many houses have been demolished so it pays to google the area you are intending to visit so your journey isnt wasted.

The house where I was born is gone

Hi Quinsgran

Thank you for your reply. I've checked that the roads still exist so now keeping fingers crossed that the houses are still standing and not been redeveloped into a shopping centre etc!

Margaret

Hi Margaret

If you are looking at early censuses, houses weren't numbered. The enumerator just gave them a number as he went along. So if you see that the census records are numbered 1,2,3 etc. he is making them up. It is not till about 1891 or even later, that houses started to be numbered 2,4,6,8 on one side and 1,3,5,7 on the other.

Margaret

I know that there was a major renumbering of streets in the Victorian times due to major slum clearances, new roads & the burgeoning postal system. Before the renumbering people could use there own numbers.

I found something about it once. I'll have a look through my notes.

Ozi.

Margaret,
I have seen at my local records office old street maps which are detailed though not sure if they show house numbers. I remember because I was looking for a particular house & by using landmarks such as pubs, shops etc, I was able to make a very educated guess which way the enumerator walked down the street & therefore which house my rellies lived at.

May be worth contacting the records office for the area

Directories are a good way to go.

"The level of detail contained in local directories could vary considerably, but if you are lucky you might find that your area was well covered. Some directories contain street-by-street lists of houses and their principal occupants. Remember though that house numbers might have changed in the intervening years." - National Archives

Found it -

Victorian London A-Z Street Index

The third phase of our Victorian London Street Index is now complete and contains over 61,000 references.

A note of caution for family and local history researchers. During the latter-half of the nineteenth century, Metropolitan London was rapidly being rebuilt. Slums were demolished and replaced with new houses and a lot of demolition of roads took place to make way for the railways. Without consulting contemporary maps, a named road may not always be exactly the same road throughout it's history. Equally important, house numbers would change to keep pace with any demolition and rebuilding taking place. Courts and Buildings were named after the owner of the property, and when these properties changed ownership, these places were often renamed.

In 1888 the General Post Office and London County Council conducted a renaming and renumbering scheme to eliminate duplicate road names throughout the LCC and to renumber houses consistently with the lowest number being closest to the local post office. This means that a house located in 1851 need not be the same house today, or even in subsequent censuses.

from http://homepage.ntlworld.com/hitch/gendocs/lon-str.html

Thank you very much to everyone for your helpful replies. Armed with those I'll do some digging around prior to my visit.

It will be great if I can find the actual properties, but even if I can't I will enjoy treading the same streets as my ancestors and use my imagination to take me back 100+ years!

Thanks again for all your replies.

Margaret