Search the census

Electoral rolls, which date from the 1850s to the present day, will also help establish who was living in your house at a particular time, but perhaps more interesting for those in older properties is the information that can be gleaned from census returns. A census is taken every ten years and, for now, material from the years 1841 to 1901 is accessible to the public. A typical census entry will include the name, age and occupation (an excellent indicator of social status) of everyone living at a given address, including children, members of staff (common among wealthy families in the 19th century), and any visitors who happened to be staying on census night.

If you live in a Victorian house, you should therefore find a reference to it in the census records. And if you’re not sure when the houses in your street were built, consult the Encyclopaedia of Brighton (sadly out of print but available for reference at the History Centre and local libraries), which traces the development of the city, more or less street by street, from the 1660s to the 1980s. Similar information can be found on the living history website mybrightonandhove.org.uk.

House history is not just about gathering facts; it’s also about interpreting information and reading between the lines. You may find that the social profile of your street has altered dramatically since the houses were first built – the bijou terraces in the North Laine, for example, may be highly sought-after now but they were originally built for the working classes.