House Histories | Model Houses

House Histories

Unlock the secrets of Your Home

A Unique Fusion of Architectural Drawing and House History

Commission Ben to create a unique architectural image of your home, along with a fully researched house history. This unique portrait will give you a fascinating insight into the lives of the previous owners or occupants of the property, their careers and social history. It will chart the architectural development of the area and of the house itself and provide an illustration like no other!

Once we’ve researched the history you can choose one of three options: The history can be presented as a simple document to read and share with friends and family, or the text can be combined with a highly detailed architectural drawing, or an architectural model can form the centrepiece of a striking and unique portrait of your home.

See the Price and Options

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The Process

If you would like an architectural drawing or model featured with the history, then Ben would spend several hours on site taking measurements and photos to reproduce the building as accurately as possible. The visit also gives Ben an opportunity to find valuable clues about the history of the building and its phases of construction as well as a chance for you to see completed examples of models and drawings.

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The Team

Ben works on these projects with Paul Murray a house historian, writer and academic. Paul begins by visiting the local archives and libraries. Additionally, data is gathered from special online databases as well as from the National Archives Census records.

Paul and Ben write the histories together, usually beginning with a short outline of how the area developed. We talk about the construction of the house, find out about the builder, the architectural style and the building techniques used. We also like to mention a little about the general layout of the house and any notable or unusual design features.

In some cases, it may be interesting to direct the narrative towards subjects linked to the history of the house, such as the career of the architect responsible for the building, or other points of local interest. We will normally include selected details of the previous owners’ social history, professions and family relationships.

The final paragraph always relates to the present owners, and any personal information about their time in the property or their family can be included. Drawing on 25 years of experience working with period buildings there is always lots to say.

Presenting The Ultimate Portrait of Your Home

Once you have approved a draft copy of the house history it can be printed along with the architectural drawing or mounted alongside a hand-made architectural model. For more information on how the models are made see the Small Projects

With each commission Ben varies his choice of font for the house history, so it reflects the age and architectural style of the house in question. Sometimes the lettering used on original plans, deeds and documents can be traced to provide authentic and unique detail to the overall image. Often Ben will design a cartouche or title block, taking influences from period literature or contemporary maps.

The final result is beautifully framed and there are several options to choose from including the colours and designs of frames and mounts, and types of glass. Ben will discuss your preferences before the project gets under way.

Every element of this process is precisely tailored to your requirements, so the cost is calculated on an individual basis. See the Price and Options page to have an indication of costs.