Who Lived In My Terrace House? The Ouseburn, looking south c1907 while culverting was underway, a piece of Newcastle becomes hidden.” Christopher Goulding – Hidden Newcastle
Who Lived In My Terraced House? Every home has a story, and sometimes those stories sit quietly behind the walls of ordinary streets. Recently, we completed a commission to research two neighbouring terrace houses on Warwick Street in Heaton. At first glance, they may look like many others in the area. However, their histories reveal the lives of families. They also show the presence of tradespeople and shifting communities over time.
For this project, we set out to answer the question, who lived in my terrace house? As we traced the names of past residents, we uncovered fascinating details about their occupations and family connections. We also followed the changes each household experienced over time, from one generation to the next. To bring these discoveries together, we created two bespoke House History Folios. Each folio combined in-depth research with clear illustrations and engaging writing, making the past easy to explore. The Genuine Article folios were commissioned from our Archive Edition collection. They were presented as a memorable birthday gift.
What makes this commission even more meaningful is our client’s wish that the folios remain with the properties. If the current owners sell, the folios will stay with the houses. New residents may move in, and the folios will become part of their legacy. In this way, the history of each home will continue to be told and enjoyed by future generations. This ensures that the stories of Warwick Street are never forgotten.
This case study highlights how a simple question – Who lived in my terrace house? – can open the door to rich discoveries about the people and communities who shaped a home’s past.
Dating The Properties
The first step in any house history project is to establish when the properties were built. For the Warwick Street terrace, we began by consulting early editions of Ordnance Survey maps. These large-scale maps are invaluable resources. They allow us to trace when a street first appeared in the urban landscape.
On the 1st edition map, produced around 1860, Warwick Street was nowhere to be seen. The land was still open and undeveloped, with no sign of the terrace that stands today. By the time of the 2nd edition map of 1899, however, Warwick Street was clearly marked. It was complete with its rows of newly built houses. The street continued to appear on the 3rd edition of 1921, confirming its established presence in the local area.
We derived the construction date of the terrace from this evidence. It dates to somewhere between 1860 and 1899. This was a period of rapid growth in Heaton. This was a time when Newcastle was expanding. Rows of terraced houses were built to house the city’s growing population of workers, clerks, and tradespeople. Warwick Street fits squarely into this pattern of late Victorian development. It provides us with a strong starting point. We can piece together the lives of the people who first called these houses their home.
Who Lived In My Terrace House?
After narrowing the construction period using Ordnance Survey maps, our next step was to turn to the electoral registers. These records provide invaluable details about who was entitled to vote. They reveal where they lived. This offers a reliable way to trace the first residents of newly built houses.
Who Lived In My Terrace House In The 1880s?
The earliest entries we found for the Warwick Street properties appeared in the register of 1887. At that time, two neighbours were listed side by side: Robert Charlton, an electrician, and Ernest Schumann, a cashier. Their names gave us the identity of the first known occupants. They also offered insight into the types of residents the terrace was built to attract. These were skilled tradesmen and clerical workers who reflected the growing professional and industrial character of late Victorian Newcastle.
Archive Sources
The presence of both men on Warwick Street in 1887 strongly suggests that the houses were completed in 1886. They were first occupied around the same time. From that point, we used the electoral registers. We combined these with census records, directories, and other archival sources. This approach helped us build a continuous chain of occupancy. This research allowed us to trace the succession of households in both properties. We documented the transition from their first residents in the late 1880s. Our research continued all the way through to the 1980s.
A fascinating timeline began to emerge as we traced the records. It revealed far more than simple lists of names. It uncovered the answer to the question, who lived in my terrace house? Each entry told a small part of a much bigger story. Families came and went. Occupations shifted in step with the changing economy. Over the decades, the neighbourhood itself transformed, reflecting wider social and cultural shifts. By following these records, the terrace transformed. It was no longer just bricks and mortar. A living thread of human history began to emerge. A story that was shaped by the people who once called it home.
From a painting of the Ouseburn by J W Carmichael. Historic Newcastle. Frank Graham
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House Histories In Context
Further studies of electoral registers, census records and directories enabled us to view the residents in context with local history.
The area around Warwick Street has a colourful history. Originally typically agricultural, the character of the Ouseburn valley changed and developed with the Industrial revolution. A host of industries such as iron foundries, flint mills and lead works developed.
Who Lived In My Terrace House In The 1890s?
We discovered that Mr George Forster lived on Warwick Street in 1899. He was possibly a manager at the Ouseburn Lead Works. At this time, a walk to the bottom of Warwick street would have shown the Ouseburn. It was a watercourse running above ground.
Ouseburn Culvert
During 1907 – 1911 the culvert over the burn was built and completed effectively hiding the Ouseburn from view. People living on Warwick Street after 1911 would not have known the Ouseburn in its natural aspect.
Later in 1950, after being used as a tip, the valley at the bottom of Warwick Street was filled in. The Allan family resided on Warwick Street from 1938 for over 60 years. During their later years at this location, the view of the area would have been much the same. It looks like how we know it today.
How does commissioning a House History Work?
Heaton Park
By contrast, the industrial Ouseburn valley differs significantly. The houses at the top end of Warwick Street backed onto Heaton Park. Heaton Park, Armstrong Park and Jesmond Dene developed in the Victorian era.
Victoria Library
At the top of Warwick Street there is a building that dates back to 1898, the Victoria Library. Plans to build the library were controversial. Residents were concerned about building on the green space. Mr Ernest Schuman and Mr Robert Charlton were the first residents of our houses. They would have known about local plans to build the Victoria Library. They would have understood the concern surrounding these plans.
Bombs Fall on Heaton
One night stands out for the residents of Warwick Street. It is the night of April 25 1941. A German bomb fell on the main walkway of Heaton Park. Fortunately only the greenhouse windows were damaged. However, more bombs fell across the Heaton area on that night. . At Guildford Place and Cheltenham Terrace, 47 people died when a bomb exploded on a terrace of houses.
Who Lived In My Terrace House: Presentation
We presented our Heaton house histories in bespoke presentation boxes, created to be as special as the stories they contained. Each box held carefully selected materials. These materials brought the past to life. They included historic maps, copies of census entries, and other key documents. Our specially designed, unique table of residents was at the heart of the collection. It clearly set out who lived in each terrace house over the decades. Together, these elements provided a rich and accessible record of the homes’ histories. They transformed everyday terrace houses into tangible links with the past.
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