One of our recent projects was all about helping you to find out about the history of your own house. If you live in one of Datchet’s very old houses you may find that Janet Kennish has already researched the history of the building and the people who have lived in it, and that it is already on Datchet History website.

But most houses built from Victorian times to the present have not yet been researched and Datchet Village Society would like to help you discover the history of your own house. You could find out who has lived there before you, how the house has changed, and what was there before it was built. We’re hoping your research will help to build a detailed picture of how the village has developed in more recent times.

Join the group

If you’d like to join the group, which is free for all DVS members, please click here to get in touch

Where to start

There are many sources of information you can use.

Old Maps can show what was there before your road was developed and your house was built, what the land was used for then, and perhaps who owned it. The wonderful 1868 map, which was donated recently to the DVS, has been photographed in sections and posted on the Datchet History website here: http://datchethistory.org.uk/historical-maps/  The photos are very clear and you can zoom in to the fine detail, although you may find that your house or road is not there because the great Victorian development had not yet begun. You’ll also find the complete 1833 enclosure map there, the earliest detailed one of Datchet and equally zoomable. More to come soon!

Electoral Rolls and Street Directories can show who lived in your house in recent years; if it was built before 1911 the Censuses can tell you details about whole families and are now free to search online from 1841 to 1911.

Using Geneology Websites you may be able to follow up the lives and occupations of families who once lived in your house.

You may be lucky enough to have, or to discover, the Title Deeds of your house, or even old photographs, which are often hard to find

At the DVS we can offer help with finding and using these documents and more, and could use your research to build up a picture of how Datchet developed in more recent times, as Janet has done for earlier periods.

Let us know if you are interested in this project and we can start to make advice and resources available. It may be that several people in the same area or road can work together and share information on similar houses.

6 Responses

  1. Alan Kinrade/Jonathan Palmer

    Dear Village Society,

    We’d love to take part in this project (meant to get in touch a while ago). We are at Wyndleshore House, Windsor Road, SL3 9BR. please let us know how we can get involved, all we know so far is a bit of a scandal involving the builder and one of Queen Victoria’s ladies in waiting.

    Thank you, Alan and Jonathan.

    • Alison Crampin

      Hello Alan and Jonathan
      Good to hear from you. We’ve added your names to our list of ‘house detectives’. We’re planning a House History workshop in the new year to share ideas and begin looking at available maps, street directories, and online resources. We’ll be in touch with everyone who has expressed an interest as soon as a date and meeting place has been fixed, and will also post details in the ‘What’s On’ section of this website. Looking forward to hearing all about the scandal you’ve uncovered!
      Alison Crampin, Datchet Village Society

  2. Val Giffen

    Living at Swanmeade, now 17 The Avenue, in Datchet we have always been interested as to our home’s past. Recently a plaque was left on the doorstep with a note reading “To the residents, This sign belonged to our grandmother, Georgina Brady, who grew up at Swanmeade. We thought you might like it. Yours Jean Graliers Patt Kena McKay.” The spelling of the names is guess work!
    How can we try to find these grand daughters, we would love to chat to them What other news is there of our home? We know the house was converted into flats in 1976 and it was built in 1881.

    • Alison Crampin

      How very interesting! I’ve forwarded your message to Janet Kennish, chair of the DVS, and we’ll be in touch by email very soon. In the meantime, did you know that you can also find histories of many houses on Janet’s website, http://www.DatchetHistory.org.uk? If you go to the ‘Streets and Houses’ section, you’ll find details for The Avenue.

  3. Horace Paravicini

    Dear Village Society,

    Please, can You provide information and photos of the house of the Paravicini faily in Datchet? Are the family still resident in the place? Thank You a lot in advance, Kind regards, Mr. H. Paravicini

    • Alison Crampin

      Dear Horace Paravicini, Many thanks for your message. We have replied to you directly with details of the Paravicinis in Datchet.

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