Keith Searle

Trace my House.com

Keith is a retired Management Consultant and former CEO of several large housing companies. He started working life as a journalist and became sports editor with a South London newspaper group before switching  to developing and refurbishing buildings. 

Although responsible for building thousands of new affordable homes his real interest and expertise lay in restoring and refurbishing old historic buildings.

This led to him working with the Government to restore the famous Pantiles buildings in Tunbridge Wells and many Regency properties in Brighton and Hove and London. He has been advisor to various House of Lords and Commons Housing Committee’s on the passage of housing bills and appeared on several television programmes including chairing a World in Action special championing the need for affordable rural housing.

In 1975 with his wife Margaret they set up the successful Family Retraced Genealogical Company promoting an interest in the emerging passion for family history and helping people to trace their ancestors. 

Keith’s interest in the history and architecture of older homes led to him being asked to help others to discover the history of their homes and eventually to setting up Trace my House and How old is my House web sites. These are non profit making and are solely designed to provide help, advice and to further an interest in House History.

Keith is a member of the GENUKI On line Parish clerk scheme which seeks to collect and maintain family history and genealogical data sourced from personal research, public records and the work of others involved in similar projects

Apart from authoring many house and family history articles, newspaper columns, blogs and websites and appearing on several radio programmes Keith is a proud grand and great grandfather, a  keen musician, opera lover, genealogist and lifelong supporter of Charlton Athletic FC and Kent CC.