Kelly's Directory Of Buckinghamshire 1928

Kelly's Directory of Buckinghamshire 1928 (Digital Download or CD)

Product Description

Unlock the history of your ancestors and the county of Buckinghamshire with this complete republication of Kelly's Directory of 1928. An essential resource for genealogists and local historians, this directory offers a fascinating snapshot of life in the interwar period, bridging the gap between the 1921 Census and the 1939 Register.

Format & Accessibility This directory is available as a Digital Download or on a CD. The directory consists of high-quality scanned images of the original pages. While the book is not text-searchable in the traditional sense (it is not a transcribed database), the alphabetical nature of the listings makes navigation incredibly straightforward. Furthermore, most modern PDF readers (such as Adobe Acrobat) perform OCR (Optical Character Recognition) on the fly, allowing you to use the "Find" function to search for surnames and street names within the viewer.

Why this 1928 Edition is Critical for Genealogists If you are struggling to trace family members between the 1920s and the outbreak of WWII, this directory is a vital tool. The 1931 Census was destroyed by fire during WWII, and the 1931 Census for England & Wales no longer exists. This 1928 directory serves as a crucial census substitute, helping you pinpoint exactly where your ancestors were living and their occupations just a few years after the Great War.

What’s Inside the Directory? Kelly’s Directories are renowned for their detail. This volume is divided into easy-to-navigate sections:

1. County Information: A detailed overview of Buckinghamshire’s topography, geology, and agriculture. It includes listings for the County Council, Magistrates, and the Deanery.
2. Court Directory (Private Residents): An alphabetical list of private residents (heads of households) throughout the county. This is the gold standard for tracing family movements.
3. Commercial Directory: A comprehensive classified trade directory. Whether you are looking for a baker in Beaconsfield or a solicitor in Slough, this section allows you to see the businesses that kept the local economy running.
4. Town & Village Histories: Detailed descriptions of the major towns and villages—including Aylesbury, High Wycombe, Buckingham, and Eton—containing historical notes, information on local churches, schools, and civic institutions.

Buckinghamshire in 1928: Local Context This directory captures a county in transition. While the railway continued to dominate the commuter belts into London, traditional industries remained the heartbeat of the market towns.

• The Furniture Capital: High Wycombe was famous globally for its furniture industry, particularly the manufacture of Windsor Chairs. The directory lists the many chair makers and wood turners that populated the area.
• Sport: This was a golden era for local football. Wycombe Wanderers (founded 1887) were playing in the Spartan League during this period, and the directory listings for the club officials provide a unique look at the sport's administration at the grassroots level.
• Famous Residents & Connections:
  • The Rothschilds: The influential Rothschild banking family had a massive presence in Bucks during this era, with estates including Ascott and Waddesdon Manor.
  • The Leons & Bletchley Park: In 1928, Bletchley Park was the residence of Sir Herbert Leon's widow, Lady Fanny Leon. It would not become the famous code-breaking centre until over a decade later.
  • Literary Figures: The county was home to various literary figures; the renowned poet Edmund Blunden lived in Tingewick during the late 1920s.

Important Disclaimer: Please note that due to the age of the original source material and the binding process used in 1928, some fold-out maps or street plans may have been damaged or were missing from the original library volume used for scanning. We have made every effort to ensure the highest quality reproduction of the text pages available.

Compatible with: Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Files are in PDF format.