Kelly's Post Office Directory Of London County Suburbs 1919

Kelly's Post Office Directory of London County Suburbs 1919 (Digital Download or CD-ROM)

Product Description:

Step back into the pivotal year of 1919 with this exceptional republication of Kelly's Post Office Directory of London County Suburbs. Published just months after the Armistice that ended the Great War, this directory captures a London in profound transition—soldiers returning home, suburbs expanding, and a society rebuilding itself.

In the new format for Kelly’s, this historic volume combines both South and North London suburbs into one comprehensive book, offering an unparalleled snapshot of the sprawling Greater London area at the dawn of the roaring twenties.

Bridging the Census Gap

For genealogists, the period between 1911 and 1921 is notoriously difficult to navigate due to the missing 1921 census (only recently released) and the destroyed 1931 census. This 1919 directory serves as a vital "census substitute," allowing you to pinpoint exactly where your ancestors lived, worked, and traded in the immediate post-WWI era.

Navigating the Directory: Format & Searchability

Please note that this product consists of high-quality scanned images of the original book and is not a text-searchable database. However, Kelly's directories are meticulously arranged alphabetically by surname and street, making it incredibly easy to manually navigate to the section you need.

Pro Tip: While the files are image-based, most modern PDF readers (such as Adobe Acrobat) feature "OCR on the fly" technology. This means you can often use the CTRL+F (or CMD+F) search bar to find surnames or street names, with the software reading the text directly from the images!

What's Inside? (Directory Sections)

This combined North & South volume is divided into highly useful sections for family historians:

• Commercial Directory: An alphabetical list of tradesmen, merchants, and business owners across the suburbs. Perfect for finding your ancestor's shop or trade.
• Street Directory: Lists every street alphabetically, followed by the head of the household at each address. Ideal for tracing who lived next door to your ancestors.
• Private Residents Directory: An alphabetical list of the professional classes, gentry, and notable private citizens (excluding tradesmen).
• Official & Municipal Directory: Details of local councils, magistrates, churches, schools, and public institutions, providing rich context for your ancestor's daily life.
• Appendices & Advertisements: Fascinating period adverts for local businesses, from Victorian-era pharmacies to early motor car garages.

The World of London Suburbs in 1919

The London suburbs captured in this directory were vibrant, self-sufficient hubs.

• Industry & Commerce: The suburbs were the engine rooms of London. Areas like Willesden, Enfield, and Croydon were booming with light engineering, aviation factories (such as Handley Page in Cricklewood), and massive gasworks.
• Sport: Football was rapidly becoming the heartbeat of working-class suburbia. Clubs like Tottenham Hotspur, Charlton Athletic, and Arsenal were deeply embedded in their local communities, with many players and club officials listed within these pages. Suburban cricket clubs were also thriving.
• Music & The Arts: The suburbs housed a surprising number of notable creatives. The legendary composer Gustav Holst was living and teaching in the London suburbs during this era.
• Famous Residents: The pages of this directory potentially rub shoulders with greats of the era. Acclaimed war poet Siegfried Sassoon spent time in Islington and Hampstead in 1919. Beloved children's author Edith Nesbit (who wrote The Railway Children) was residing in Eltham, South London, until her death in 1924. You will also find the addresses of prominent politicians, suffragettes who had just won the partial vote, and wealthy industrialists who shaped the city.

Map Disclaimer & Bonus

Please Note: Occasionally, the original physical copies of these directories had their fold-out maps removed by previous owners before they were archived and scanned. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the presence of the original maps in this digital/CD edition. HOWEVER, if the maps are present in the scanned original we sourced, we consider it a fantastic bonus and have included them in their full glory!

Available Formats: Choose your preferred format at checkout—receive this data instantly via Digital Download, or opt for a CD-ROM delivered directly to your door (perfect for offline research or as a gift for the family historian in your life).