How to determine age of house

RedFraggle

I know this has been asked before but believe I've done the legwork and I'm still uncertain as to what to declare as the date built for insurance purposes......
House is a 3 bed semi, number 27

Looking at historical maps.....
1938 map: houses up to 23 are shown in solid blocks. 25 and 27 are shown as outline only
Next available OS map is dated 1938 to 1953
House is shown as a solid block.

Owner is declaring 1939 based on title deed.

Title deed has an original transfer date of 1939 but refers to restrictions on buildings to be built (stipulates semi detached or detached and plans to be submitted) rather than as existing dwelling.

House looks like a 50s build not a 30s build. The earlier numbers definitely look 30s.

Mortgage valuation surveyor said 1950 as estimated year of build.

My conclusion is that the plot was bought in 1939 but not built on until post war and I should declare it at 1950 as per the valuation report.

It's a private road .

Thoughts?

molerat

Any use https://britainfromabove.org.uk/en

martinthebandit

The only ‘professional’ (I’m using that term advisedly) that’s seen the house told you that, in his opinion it’s a 1950’s build so go with that and stop overthinking things.

Fosterdog

It would be worth a look on google earth at the historical images. We were told our house was 1850s but looking on google earth only the first 5 houses of the street were built by 1859 the next date was 1870 and the rest were built by then so we now assume it was actually the 1860s ours was built but like yours the land was acquired in the 50s

Alter_ego

Fosterdog wrote: »

It would be worth a look on google earth at the historical images. We were told our house was 1850s but looking on google earth only the first 5 houses of the street were built by 1859 the next date was 1870 and the rest were built by then so we now assume it was actually the 1860s ours was built but like yours the land was acquired in the 50s

How did google earth get pix of 1850s ?

lincroft1710

Could have been built in the 1940s. My late parents' house was built in 1946, exactly the same style as the ones across the road built in 1938/9.

bouicca21

If the house was built by September 1939 it will show up on the 1939 register. You can search by address here
https://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-Records/1939-register

EachPenny

RedFraggle wrote: »

My conclusion is that the plot was bought in 1939 but not built on until post war and I should declare it at 1950 as per the valuation report.

Another possibility, depending on the area, is an original ~1939 house was destroyed during the war and the plot wasn't redeveloped until the 1950's.

OS maps aren't always a reliable source - the revision process doesn't necessarily include every change at or around the time it happens.

But if you've been professionally advised 1950's then you've probably got the answer you need already

konark

Perhaps the builders stopped building houses and did something else , say, between 1939 and 1945?

Davesnave

Due to the War, the last urban development I lived in was begun in 1937 and not completed until 1952.

There were very subtle external differences between the earliest houses and the post-War ones, but they all looked the same to a casual observer, especially as virtually all had been altered with new window and door designs.

RedFraggle

konark wrote: »

Perhaps the builders stopped building houses and did something else , say, between 1939 and 1945?

Did my use of the phrase "post war" give it away?

The insurers want an actual year so I'm going to go with 1950 as per the valuation report.

Thanks folks.