Choosing a one-place study location is an exciting time for any new One-Placer. Researchers may already be drawn to a particular village in which their ancestors lived and may have played an active part in the community. Some may have fallen in love with a place visited on holiday and wondered how a village grew to its present day format. Many will not realise the ‘chocolate box’ cottages around the village green were the old post office, laundry or blacksmith’s forge.

A One-Place study is a vibrant combination of family history and local history which witnesses growth and decline of a defined geographical area through records, oral history, maps, old postcards and memorabilia. A place may be a hamlet, village or small town. Some choose to concentrate solely on a high street and examine all the trades that were present during a certain time.

The journey will be absorbing, entertaining, educational and full of twists and turns along the way. Where would you like to explore?