Janice Boakes of Berkhamsted says: I have been trying to trace the history of my house, 293 High Street, Berkhamsted, and obtain information about the people who lived in it. The tithe map of 1839 shows William King Wheelwright living in a cottage on the plot with a wheeler shop attached. From old maps, Directories, Census returns, 1910 Inland Revenue survey and all the Local history books, I know that my house was built before 1877 and that it was occupied by various Kings who owned the Coachbuilders next door, my back garden was part of the coachbuilders builders yard. King & sons ceased trading in 1937 when Donald Lockhart builders took over the property.

Do you know of any old photographs or information about the age of my property. As you can see from above I have visited County Hall in Hertford and the Local Library but still don't have all that I would like.

If you have raided the Berkhamsted and Hemel Hempstead Central Libraries, and had a good go at HALS you have tried the most obvious sources. I can suggest a few other things you might try:

• The Dacorum Heritage Trust Museum Store is building up a collection of photographs and other materials relating to the Borough, and may have something of interests - perhaps about the coachbuilders if not your house.
• The Dacorum Borough Council has its own archive, housed in the Council Offices in Marlowes. They have a part time archivist and a letter to them might turn up something - but I don't think they have much on Berkhamsted that early. (I think some of the 19th century Berkhamsted council records are at HALS - and if you haven't tried these they may be worth a look.)
• Have you tried to trace the original (pre-land registry) deeds for your house (or neighbouring properties)? Sometimes they have survived in the basement archives of local solicitors?

In addition have you tried to look for adverts for King, the wheelwright, in local newspapers. The Hemel Hempstead Central Library has the Gazette on microfilm, as had the Dacorum Heritage Trust.

If you can add to the information given above tell me.