May 2020 – New book contract and online house history tours

The French Hospital in Rochester adjacent to the Huguenot Museum.

While lockdown has continued, I have been busy with writing up research reports, as well as completing another house history book and a family history book for clients. I have also had fun trying our Zoom conversations with groups of people, joining in some Society of Authors webinars, and joining a WhatsApp group for the first time.

House History Hour on Twitter every Thursday at 7pm UK time

For those of you on twitter there is a new house history hour to facilitate sharing tips, news, and information on house history research. It is co-hosted by me; Deborah Sugg Ryan, Professor of Design History and Theory at University of Portsmouth, and fellow leading house historians, Melanie Backe-Hansen, Nick Barratt, Karen Averby and Ellen Leslie. Between us and guest hosts we aim to help as many people as possible interested in searching the history of a property, street, or place. As I love to emphasise in my articles, talks and courses on the subject, a house history is the perfect micro history as it all about buildings, people, and local history.

Follow @HouseHistoryHr and use the hashtag #HouseHistoryHour.

Courses, Talks and Articles

I will be presenting my talk on Tracing a House History on 20 June 2020 as part of The Family History Show online. This is the virtual alternative to the one that was to be held in York on that date and will run from 10am to 4.30pm. For £6 attendance fee (cheaper if you book in advance), you can watch a variety of talks, visit virtual exhibitor stands, attend the Ask the Experts panel and Q&A.

If you read History Scotland magazine look out for a new project that they are launching to encourage people to record the history of their street. This is something that anyone can begin to do from home. They will be featuring a range of tips and resources in the magazine and online, including mine.

Tips of the Month

The Society of Genealogists (SoG) is hosting a range of family history talks. Some are free while others are on offer for a small fee. For example, on page two of their course listings is one on 3 June on ‘Pursuing Surnames: The History of Surnames & The Benefits of a One-Name Study, while page three has the links to ‘DNA for Beginners’ in June. They are all listed as online talks on the SoG website.

Keep stepping back in time and take care.

Gill