Address search on censuses?

[Sue at the seaside]

I know I've done this before and it was a bit fiddly but, I just can't get my head round it today.
How on earth is it done? I only have access to ancestry and would really like '81, '91 and '01 census for the house.
There was a man called William White living there in 1911 with wife Maria and 2 children.
Any ideas?
The house is 12 Brook Road, Poole if that is any help.

[kiterunner]

The 1881 should be easy - make sure to go onto the 1881 England census search page and use the "old search" and there is a box to type in street address. But I can't find anything! I'll have a hunt around.

You have to be a bit sneakier with the 1891 and 1901 if you don't have access to findmypast and don't want to buy credits for the 1901 site. But if we can find some people there in 1881 hopefully some of them will still be there in 1891. Of course it could be that the street wasn't built in 1881.

[kiterunner]

I found a Peter Johnston, chimney sweep, at Brook Road, Ashley Road, Parkstone, in an 1895 directory, and I can't find him on the censuses, but anyway, looking for Ashley Road on the 1881 census it is in Parkstone district 9, so I'll have a look through there and see if I can spot Brook Road.

[Merry]

I can't find Brook Road on the 1901 address search on the TNA 1901 site.

[kiterunner]

Yes, sorry, forgot to say that and I can't find it on the address searches on findmypast for any of those censuses either, trying Poole or Parkstone.

[kiterunner]

Looks as though most of Parkstone was developed from 1901 onwards so maybe I should be trying 1901 first.

[kiterunner]

Hmmm, I wonder whether that 1895 Kelly's Directory of Dorset on the Historical Directories site really is from 1895? The year is written on the first page! I'm coming to the conclusion that Brook Road was built after 1901.

[Merry]

After a fair degree of struggling I have found the road on a 1889 OS map of Parkstone (it's unnamed though). UPDATE - I mistyped the date and have just changed it!

It shows that properties were only built on the south side of the road at that date and at first I was worried there were only six, but having looked at Google street view I see they are semi-detatched! I guess the road will have been renumbered at some point as there are now houses on both sides (unless the numbers go up one side and back down the other)

[Merry]

If you want to see the OS map, go to:

http://www.old-maps.co.uk/index.html

and enter co-ordinates 404182 and 92050

next choose the third map in the list on the right 1889-1890 Pre-WW2 1:2,500 Dorset

Once it's loaded select the enhanced zoom and then the road you need is at the top of the map, roughly central right to left, immediately above the 'UP' where Upper Parkstone is written on the map and immediately below the property called Laurel Bank.

[Merry]

The road doesn't get a name on the OS map until 1933. I think possibly before that it was just an untarmaced lane, which is why the OS didn't show the name. Obviously we can't know when it was first called Brook Road, but it would seem that may have happened between 1901 and 1911, despite houses being there well before that.

[Sue at the seaside]

Thanks for all this help, I've been out and you've done all of this while I was gone. We have been told the house was built 140 yrs ago, but it would appear it was 1st sold in 1928, I know I had found it in 1911, "proving" it was older than 1928, just wanted to see how far back we could get it's history. Just off to look at the map Merry has found.
Thanks

[Sue at the seaside]

Merry, That map is fantastic, a real result, proving that it is older than most other buildings around there. We have been told that the houses were originally accessed from a footpath at the end of the garden, that can be seen on that old map far clearer than google. So probably wasn't in Brook road at all in it's beginnings. I have no idea when they were "turned round"

Thanks again for all your help, I'll still have another hunt through the censuses with the pointers you've given.

[Merry]

Oh, so is that why, when I looked at the Google street view, I thought it was a bit as if I was looking at the backs of houses on the south side of the road?

[Sue at the seaside]

Exactly! the front door of the house I know is in the back garden, although converted to a window now!