When I was looking into how old the property was, I used some of the old maps in the Local History Unit in Huddersfield Library. I have a photocopy of the oldest one that has our property on it – 1788. The map is well out of copyright so the library was happy for me to photocopy it.
I then wondered about whether old maps ever appeared on ebay. And the answer is yes. I found a couple of old maps that show the property – one from 1901 and another from 1938. The scale on the 1901 map was a little small, but the 1938 map clearly shows the property. I purchased both maps – £3 for the 1901 map and £12 for the 1938 map. There are both copies of the originals.
I spotted the one of the sellers had a 1:2,500 map of the area, but unfortunately our property was just off the bottom of the map. I sent them and email enquiry if they had the adjoining map. No luck, but I do now know the map number that I am looking for!
The vendor (Chris @ Wealden Relics. See the ebay site here) pointed me in the direction of www.old-maps.co.uk. This site allows you to search on a postcode and then view a number of old Ordnance Survey maps of that location. The 1:2,500 maps are the most detailed and the most useful. There are a number available showing our property over the years. The maps are a little on the expensive side, but you can get a lot out of the site without having to purchase a map.