ABSTRACT
The shops might have changed, but the configuration between private domestic and public retail spaces remains the same, and walking the cut-through along the path is an embodied practice of local knowledge which reinforced her sense of this first inhabitant of her home. The path became part of a quietly resonant walking ritual of daily life knowledge which is given a sensual and emotional meaning through each retelling, each re-ambulation, conjuring the presence of past lives through a sense of temporal continuity. This chapter explores what gets known about the history of homes. A sizeable minority also sought information about the history of their homes, although many are put off when the hope of effortlessly discovering fascinating stories was replaced by tedious document trails, dead ends and disappointments. The chapter explores the ways people define and give value to different forms of knowledge and imagination in coming to terms with the past of their homes.
