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House history

M

Maria Magenta

master brummie
I would like to find out something about the house where I used to live. Can any one advise me on how to start?

My parents moved into the house some time before 1954, not long before that, I think, and my mother's half- brother was born in the house next door in 1913. I'd like to find out when the houses were built, and who the landlord was.

Thanks for any tips,

maria
 
There are rates records on ancestry, they list the owner. I don't know how complete they are but I've found records as early as 1901.

Old maps should give a general idea of when it was built and if there are any shops in the vicinity a trade listing could help.

And of course the forum members are a mine of information if you want to give them the address.
 
MWS said:
There are rates records on ancestry, they list the owner. I don't know how complete they are but I've found records as early as 1901.

Old maps should give a general idea of when it was built and if there are any shops in the vicinity a trade listing could help.

And of course the forum members are a mine of information if you want to give them the address.
Click to expand...

Thanks, MWS. I've got a book on researching the history of your house, but it deals with rather more upmarket and older buildings! I have got a map, so I'll start there.

The address is 3 Park Villas, Witton Street. The houses are still there. I think they were probably built in the early 1900s.

maria
 
I have found Witton Street in the 1911 rate books but I can't seem to see Park Villas at the moment. Do you have their surname?

Janice
 
Janice, I don't have a surname for that long ago. In 1913 at 4 Park Villas the name would have been Dent.

I always assumed that the landlord was the factory Newton Shakespeare, but thinking of it, that can't be right.

maria
 
Looking at google maps/street view there are 2 rows of houses perpendicular to the road are those Park Villas? You can make out shields on the walls, I wonder if they have building date on them.
 
MWS said:
Looking at google maps/street view there are 2 rows of houses perpendicular to the road are those Park Villas? You can make out shields on the walls, I wonder if they have building date on them.
Click to expand...

Yes, they would be. I can't recall shields, but they might well have dates. Something to follow up! Perhaps on Streeview I might be able to see.

Many thanks to both of you.

maria
 
This is off the Zoopla website. Click to enlarge.
 

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Maria its Witton not Wilton. You can get electoral rolls on Ancestry who could tell you who lived there previously which may give you some idea as to when they were first built.
 
The villas are shown on the map c 1915-27 in red (with no 3 in the darker red), but not on the map c 1905. These dates are publication dates and actual date is probably 3 years before (not that the dates on the later one are very informative). However they are shown on the 1918 supplementary electoral roll, so date from about 1902-1917

map_c_1915-27_showing_park_villas_witton_st.jpg


map_c_1905_showing_park_villas_witton_st_would_be.jpg
 
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Have you looked at the deeds of the house? I have a house in Erdington that was original built for a private landlord that gives quite a lot of detail.
 
Here are Park Villas off Google Earth
 

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Thank you all very much for the suggestions. That's all very helpful.

I was interested to see that the park I remember used to have a bowling green and a bandstand.

maria
 
I have had another look at the rate books. It seems, from Google, that the house next door is 59 Witton Street the rate books jump from 59 to 74. The they go up in order to 82 and are followed by Maud Terrace - could this be relevant? I still can't find an entry for Park Villas. Maud Terrace is listed as "Perry and Deakin agents for Robberds".

Janice
 
Thank you for looking again, Janice, and Mike for the explanation. It's all especially helpful as I don't live in Birmingham.

Re Maud Terrace: we have a few names like that round here, a woman's name followed by Terrace, often applied to two semi-detached houses. Would it be the name of the builder's wife, or is that too fanciful?

maria
 
Maria
I have heard that explanation before stated as definitely true for such names, so it is certainly not fanciful
 
I have a gt grandad that was born back of 61 Witton St, would that be where Park Villas are now ?
 
Witton Road & Witton Lane are near Villa Park, Witton Street is in Bordesley/Small Heath just several hundred yards from St Andrews (Bham City).
 
It’s Witton St in Small Heath that I mean, it runs off garrison lane, when I look on google earth the numbers of the houses go up to 59 Witton St, then there are Park Villas
 
Looking at older maps there have been some changes so depending when it was it's possible the numbering has changed.
 
Thanks. The reason I asked is that from old maps it looks as if the street changed around WW1. I will have a look and see if I can work out if or how the numbering changed..
 
On the 1881 census the numbering goes from 61 to houses in court 8 and then goes to 62. I can't read the surname at 1 ct 8 - this is it
1620296044881.png
If this is the right place then it is where Park Villas are now. See red marker on both maps.
1620296170132.png1620296099058.png
 
Familysearch list it as Miller but looking at the birth of the grandchildren Eliza Jones & William J Crump, I think it should be Village.
 
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