Are you watching A House Through Time written and presented by historian David Olusoga? Have you been inspired to research the history of your own house? My home in West Swindon was built in the 1980s and while the surrounding area has plenty of fascinating history, the house itself has none. However, the house where I grew up in London has a long history. Built in the 1850s when a property in Brixton was a most desirable residence, 5 St John's Road was the long time residence of the Nicholson family who lived alongside some salubrious neighbours. In 1861 Thomas Quarm lived in a detached property called Rose Villa on the corner where St John's Road met Wiltshire Road. Thomas Quarm was born in Plymouth in about 1815 and had quite a chequered career. But by 1851 he had educated and reinvented himself and was employed as Clerk of Works on that most prestigious of new builds - the Palace of Westminster. On October 16, 1858 the illustrated News of the World reported at grea...