What our past customers have to say
"They have just launched a new deep dive service which is what they've done for me! We found out about two different families in great detail who both lived at our house! We now know why our house has its name! The first person we learnt about was a curate for the village, he oversaw the building of the church just behind us! Here before us went into so much detail, we even found out what his parting gift was when it was time to leave! The second family lived here in the early 1900s, we got to learn about the talented children who's art featured in the Daily Mirror! We found out what their servant was called and what they were doing in our little village!" - Olivia
"Here Before Us did an excellent job researching a number of properties for me spanning back to before the Doomsday Book began. I was able to use these for my personal satisfaction, brand development for commercial property and gifts for various friends and family members. The deep dives shed a huge light on the people that created the homes I and my friends and I are now caretakers of and are a valuable memento in the journeys of each property." - Lou
"Who hasn't wondered about who lived or worked in the spaces we now occupy? I know I had,
however, turning my curiosity into research was another matter!
Where to begin looking for accurate information and where to find the time to do it? My curiosity is now history thanks to Simon at herebeforeus.co.uk.
Personable, polite, enthusiastic, prompt and thorough just about sums up the service I received. I'm delighted with my plaque too, a real talking point for all who see it." - Malcolm A.
"What a novel idea. A very well received Christmas gift for my parents who have lived in their house for 45 years. A wonderful insight into who had lived in the their house at the turn of the 20th Century. Simon is enthusiastic, professional & has great attention to detail." - Kelly H.
"Since buying my Victorian, late 1800s house in Folkestone, by the sea, I often wondered who may have lived here before me. I love history and learning the stories of others who are no longer with us, can be fascinating and meaningful. In fact, I always felt a little touch of envy when I used to see a blue English heritage plaque on the side of a house or building, commemorating a historical figure from the past. Then along came Simon, now living in Folkestone, with his genius idea of searching for local people who had lived in our home and their story. I'm so pleased I could get this unique little piece of history to display on my window and share the story of this local resident, gone but never forgotten." - Hulya E.
"My partner was really pleased with her unique Christmas present and 'never would have thought' of such an idea. She appreciates the heritage of architecture so is one happy lady thanks to your good work." - Dave B.
"When I first saw the advertisement for Here Before Us, I was very interested in this unusual product. I thought the price sounded very reasonable so I ordered a wall plaque using the very user-friendly website.
Simon was onto the research within a couple of days and came up with some remarkable information about our house. He has produced a plaque of the highest standard and I am really pleased with the result. This was a gift for my husband who was also very fascinated by what was unearthed. We are proud to display it in a window of our house." - Gill B.
"Simon did a fantastic job for us! Can Thoroughly recommend. Once we gave him our address, he researched the history of our house in detail and found our previous owner of the house from when it was first built in 1930.. turned out to be a really fascinating chap who had worked as a cooks instructor in the Royal Navy and gave us a lot of rich information. The plaque itself looks great we went for the foam board option because our windows have lead lighting on them and the vinyl would not have worked as well."
- Caroline H.
"I own a little shop down The Old High Street in Folkestone. It's called The Old High Street because it's old. I knew that the basement of my shop dated around the 1600's, and the building that
comprises of the shop and flat from the 1800's, but not much more than that. Simon approached me about digging into the history, which of course, I was delighted about. It's so fascinating to learn about who was here before us. Brilliant!" - Debbie C.
"We love our blue plaque! Our customers often ask about the history of the building, and until now it's been something of a mystery even to us. So it's great to be able to display something that reliably informs everyone who and what was here long before we were. These carefully researched plaques are like unearthing fragments of a forgotten past, honouring the memory of our not too distant ancestors. It's wonderful to see so many other local businesses adopting the plaques, broadening our awareness of the area's heritage, and enriching our sense of place in the greater timeline, beyond the here and now." - Colin W