House History Discovery Reports
Transform curiosity into fascinating discoveries
Starting from £175 for 3 hours of research (payment plans available).
Our Discovery Reports uncover the real people, events, and changes that shaped your home across decades or centuries through professional historical research delivered as a comprehensive digital report.
Choose your research depth, from 3 to 21 hours.
What's Included:
Dedicated expert research time to fit your budget (from 3 hours)
Comprehensive research findings
Historical document images and transcriptions
Clear chronological timeline of discoveries
Digital archive of all records found
Professional referencing for all sources
Choose to add further hours as you go.
Discovery Reports are perfect for:
History enthusiasts who love exploring original documents and prefer facts over narrative
First-time clients who want to experience working with us before committing to larger packages
Homeowners who want detailed historical facts without additional story and design elements
Gift-givers seeking meaningful, personalised presents with flexible pricing options.
Thinking About a Christmas Gift?
We’re already 80% booked for Christmas 2025. Book today to ensure you receive your Discovery Report in time for the festive season.
Our Promise: If your home isn't viable for your chosen package after initial assessment (less than 5% of cases), we'll either provide a full refund or switch you to a package that better matches your property's available records — you'll only pay the £49 Records Check fee.
Choose your Discovery Level:
3-hour Discovery Report (£175)
Circa 10-18 records
Online research including census records, historical maps, newspaper archives, street directories, electoral registers, valuation surveys, tithe surveys, and local history context.
Delivered in 4-6 weeks, , depending on the team’s current capacity.
7-hour Discovery Report (£395)
Circa 25-30 records
Everything above covered more extensively, plus expanded owner and occupant histories.
Delivered in 4-6 weeks, , depending on the team’s current capacity.
11-hour Discovery Report (£650)
Circa 35-40 records
Everything above plus extended searches on owner and occupant histories across multiple time periods.
Delivered in 4-6 weeks, depending on the team’s current capacity.
16-hour Discovery Report (£1050)
Circa 45-50 records
Includes archival research
Everything above plus physical archive exploration - deeds, wills, probate records, building plans, estate records, manorial records, architectural development, and more.
Delivered in 8-10 weeks, depending on the team’s current capacity.
21-hour Discovery Report (£1350)
Circa 60+ records
Deep archival investigation
Everything above plus deeper archival investigation across all available sources and specialist collections.
Delivered in 10-12 weeks, depending on the team’s current capacity.
Flexible Research Options
Start with a 3-hour package and add additional research blocks anytime, or upgrade later to one of our signature house history packages for the full storytelling experience.
This also makes an ideal gift, allowing recipients to discover their initial findings and then choose to delve deeper into their home's history or transform their research into a beautifully crafted narrative whenever they're ready.
Our Promise: If your home isn't viable for your chosen package after initial assessment (less than 5% of cases), we'll either provide a full refund or switch you to a package that better matches your property's available records — you'll only pay the £49 Records Check fee.
What happens after booking?
Step 1: Welcome Email & Information Form
You'll receive a form to share with us what you already know - from deeds to family stories.
Step 2: Discovery
Our researchers get to work exploring a wide range of historical records to uncover your home’s story.
We undertake detailed research, using your booked time to include as many confirmed records as we can. We aim to cover as many time periods as possible, depending on what survives for your property.
Research time includes:
Searching (including negative searches)
Transcribing and interpreting documents
Referencing each finding within your report
A 3-hour Discovery Report provides a glimpse into some of the records available. With additional time, we can expand the picture - filling out the timeline of owners, occupants, and events, as the records allow.
From 16 hours of research and above, we’re also able to explore physical archives and specialist collections that may hold unique material relating to your home.
Step 3: Delivery
Once your research report is ready, we will email it to you in the form of a pdf document along with a digital file of the records included in your research.
To ensure you receive your Welcome Email, please add support@pursuingthepast.co.uk to your email contacts. Haven't received it? Please check your spam folder and email us if you need any assistance.
FAQs
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Discovery Reports focus on comprehensive research and factual findings delivered digitally. Our signature packages transform these same research findings into beautifully crafted narratives with bespoke wall prints and printed storybooks - perfect for those wanting the complete storytelling experience.
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Your Discovery Report is delivered as a digital document presenting all research findings in chronological order. Rather than a narrative story, you'll receive the historical facts organised as a comprehensive reference guide with full document transcriptions and source details. You’ll also receive a digital file containing the images of all records uncovered.
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Absolutely! Many clients begin with a Discovery Report to explore their home's research potential, then choose to transform these findings into a complete narrative through our signature packages.
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Every Discovery Report begins with a Records Check to confirm research viability. If insufficient records exist, or it’s not possible to confirm the house in records without further speculative research (less than 5% of cases), we'll provide a full refund minus the £49 search fee.
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Precise build dates emerge in about half of properties - though the likelihood of finding them varies with the property's status and age (and is more likely in our archive packages, which give us access to physical archives), we have uncovered construction dates for Victorian homes even in our smaller research packages.
If precise dates can’t be found for Victorian and Edwardian properties, we are usually able to narrow down construction periods using maps. For older properties, archive research may be needed to provide a construction period. It depends on the status of the property and the available records for each property.
Architect and builder details tend to surface more often for grander properties.
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Historical photographs are available for about 5-10% of properties, so they are relatively rare but exciting to find! They are much more likely to be found for grander properties and in our archive packages, but we have also been lucky to find photographs for more humble properties and even in our online research packages.
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The main focus of our work is the social history of a house; however, we will always include details of the house’s architecture and development whenever we find them during our research.
We will ask you to share anything you know about the house and its history and development before we begin your research – as any information you have could be very useful in our research and in building a fuller picture of the house’s history.
Looking for something extra special?
Explore our signature house history packages, combining expert research with captivating storytelling and timeless design, telling your home's story in bespoke story books and statement wall prints. Perfect for those who want the complete narrative experience with beautiful physical keepsakes.
Thinking of booking for Christmas? Our diary is filling quickly and we’re already 80% booked. Book today to ensure you don’t miss out on the perfect present.
Our Promise: If your home isn't viable for your chosen package after initial assessment (less than 5% of cases), we'll either provide a full refund or switch you to a package that better matches your property's available records — you'll only pay the £49 Records Check fee.
Still deciding?
Start with a Package Check and we'll assess your home's research potential.