Table of Contents
How BerksFHS Can Help
Our Family Research Centre at L14 London Road Campus, London Road, Reading RG1 5AQ gives you free access to the key platforms for house history research:
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- Findmypast – census records searchable by address, 1939 Register, electoral registers, trade directories and tithe records.
- Ancestry (worldwide edition) – census records by address, 1939 Register, electoral registers and historical collections.
- The Genealogist – tithe maps and apportionments, the Lloyd George Domesday Survey 1910-1915, OS maps overlaid on modern mapping, electoral registers and trade directories.
- The British Newspaper Archive – property sale notices, building reports; local and family stories and notices; and photographs.
- FamilySearch – free census indexes; we are a FamilySearch Affiliate Library, giving visitors access to additional records not freely available online at home.
- Berkshire street and trade directories.
- Maps – you can consult the first edition Ordnance Survey maps for Berkshire on our PCs and even purchase a copy to take home with you. Our shop stocks additional historic maps covering all of old Berkshire.
Our experienced Research Assistants are on hand to help. Check berksfhs.org for current opening hours.
Our Centre is free to use, but donations towards our running costs are gratefully welcomed.
Sources for House History Research
The following covers the main sources available, both online and in physical form. It is not intended to be a definitive list – what survives and where it is held varies considerably by property, period and location.
Architectural Evidence (roof, tiles, windows etc.) Free reference guide: https://www.nhbc.co.uk/insights-and-media/foundation/publications/homes-through-the-decades-the-making-of-modern-housing, Expert assessment and specialist reports
Births, Marriages and Deaths 1837 to present Free: https://www.freebmd.org.uk and https://www.gro.gov.uk
Census Returns and 1939 Register https://www.ancestry.co.uk/ https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/, https://www.findmypast.co.uk/ Free online: https://www.familysearch.org and https://www.freecen.org.uk
Chancery and Other Court Records, Deeds and Land Registry Your own property deeds; The National Archives; County Record Office; Parliamentary Records https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/land-registry
Electoral Registers and Poll Books https://www.ancestry.co.uk/ https://www.findmypast.co.uk/ Local Studies Library and County Record Office
Enclosure Records Free website for Berkshire: https://www.berkshireenclosure.org.uk/, County Record Office
Hearth Tax Records Free website: https://pure.roehampton.ac.uk/portal/en/projects/british-academy-hearth-tax-project/ (British Academy Hearth Tax Project), County Record Office
Inland Revenue Valuation Office Survey (Lloyd George Domesday) 1910-1920 The National Archives, County Record Office, Online: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/
Insurance and Legal Records (including insurance maps) County Record Office, Local Studies Library, Free: https://www.bl.uk/collection-guides/fire-insurance
Listed Buildings Register Free: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/, Pevsner County Historic Building Guides
Local Histories and Oral Histories Free: https://www.british-history.ac.uk, https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar, https://archive.org/details/texts, https://www.genuki.org.uk, https://www.britishpathe.com, County Record Office, Local Studies Libraries, Local History Societies and Museums
Local Surveys Local History Societies, County Record Office, Local Studies Library
Manorial Records https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/manor-search
Maps and Plans Free: https://maps.nls.uk, https://www.oldmapsonline.org, https://www.bl.uk/collection-guides/fire-insurance Local Studies Library, County Record Office, Local History Societies
Museums Various – including MERL: https://www.merl.reading.ac.uk/collections/archives Plus specialist museums and collections
National Farm Survey 1941-1943 The National Archives
Newspapers Free at the Family Research Centre: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk, https://www.findmypast.co.uk/ https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/ Local Studies Library, County Record Office and The British Library
Parish Registers and Parish Chest Records County Record Office, Family History Society, https://www.familysearch.org, https://www.ancestry.co.uk/ https://www.findmypast.co.uk/
Photographs and Postcards Facebook, Francis Frith Collection, Local Studies Library, Museums, County Record Office, Local History Societies, Free: https://about.historypin.org and https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/photos/
Public Houses Free: https://www.closedpubs.co.uk
Sales Particulars and Advertisements Local Studies Library, County Record Office, Local History Societies, https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/
Street and Trade Directories and Gazetteers County Record Office, Local Studies Library, Free: https://le.ac.uk/library/special-collections/explore/historical-directories (University of Leicester), https://www.ancestry.co.uk/ https://www.findmypast.co.uk/
Taxes and Rates County Record Office
Tithe Records https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/ (some also on https://www.ancestry.co.uk/ and https://www.findmypast.co.uk/) County Record Office
Wills, Administrations and Inventories Free: The National Archives, For Berkshire: https://www.royalberkshirearchives.org.uk/wills-index
Workhouses Free: https://www.workhouses.org.uk
World War One and World War Two Free: https://www.cwgc.org Berkshire-specific: https://www.throughtheireyesww2.com, https://www.ancestry.co.uk/ https://www.findmypast.co.uk/ https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/ https://uk.forceswarrecords.com/ https://www.fold3.com/
Berkshire House History
For properties in historic Berkshire, the Royal Berkshire Archive at https://www.royalberkshirearchives.org.uk/ is the primary archive repository, holding tithe maps, estate records, rate books, enclosure awards, some planning records and deeds, electoral rolls, and some sale catalogues. The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL), next door on Redlands Road, holds collections relating to farms and estate management. Reading Local Studies Library also holds some sales catalogues, maps, street and trade directories, electoral rolls, local ephemera and a good collection of photographs.
This guide was compiled by Berkshire Family History Society. https://berksfhs.org Links verified April 2026. Access terms, opening hours and record availability change – always check the current position on each site before visiting or searching.
