Every Home Has a Story: The Perfect House History Gift for a Victorian Terrace
Behind every front door lies a tapestry of lives lived, even in the most modest of homes. When Hannah Phillips and her fiancé Johnathan Priestley purchased their first home in High Wycombe, Hannah commissioned our Highlights house history package as a special gift to Johnathan to commemorate their new chapter.
'Although it is a modest, little house, finding out about its rich history and the families who have lived here has really added a new dimension,' shares Hannah. 'It made me feel like we are the newest generation in a long tradition of people living and working here.'
1848 Tithe Map, High Wycombe (The National Archives)
Through careful research, we discovered that this seemingly simple Victorian terraced house held deep connections to High Wycombe’s renowned furniture-making heritage. Its first recorded resident was Freeman Ball, a 35-year-old chairmaker who lived here with his wife Barbarina in 1881. At the time, the house was known as 13 Wards Row, named after its owner E. Ward.
1881 Census (The National Archives)
The home’s story reflects the changing patterns of family life across generations. By 1911, it housed the Kirby family, where Fredrick worked as a wood sawyer at the nearby Chair Works. Later, in 1939, the house embraced three generations under one roof, with widow Eliza Kirby sharing her home with her daughter Anne and grandchildren—a common arrangement in pre-war Britain.
‘I love that a chair maker lived in our house,’ Hannah reflects. ‘Moving to High Wycombe which is so known for chair-making, knowing that somebody worked in that industry really tied our house to the local area for us and made it feel all the more special.’
Temple End, Ordnance Survey Map 1875 (National Library of Scotland )
From its beginnings as Temple Meadow to its evolution through Wards Row and finally to 46 Temple End, this Victorian terrace has been home to working families who contributed to their community’s rich industrial heritage. Their stories, though perhaps not marked by grand events or notable names, are testament to the value held in every home's history. ‘I was pleasantly surprised by how much detail there was,’ notes Hannah, ‘and loved the balance between setting the scene of the history of the local area and then more specific stories about the people who lived in our house itself.’
1910 Valuation Survey (The National Archives)
Every home, whether a modest terrace or a grand manor house, holds within its walls countless stories waiting to be discovered. These narratives help us understand not just our houses, but the communities that shaped them and the lives lived within them. A house history makes an unforgettable gift, creating a lasting connection between residents and their home’s past.
As Hannah and Johnathan begin their chapter at 46 Temple End, they do so with a deeper appreciation of their home’s past and their place in its continuing story. They join a long line of residents who have called these brick walls home, adding their own story to its rich history.