Dreaded institution a history of the workhouse

The latest series of WDYTYA? saw writer, actor and comedian Aisling Bea discover that her family lived through some of the most dramatic periods in Irish history. This included the devastating Famine

Before the introduction of civil registration of births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales in 1837, it is the parochial registers recording the baptisms, marriages and burials of our ancestors

Back in 1979, David and Linda Williams felt ready to move to a spacious, light house with a good-sized garden. Ideally, it would be low maintenance so as not to encroach on David’s job as head of art

Wearing its heritage on its sleeve, this medieval castle has lived many lives, including a fortified castle, a Jacobean mansion and a comfortable Victorian family home

Ironmongers’ Hall, London EC2 The home of the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers

An idyllic neighbourhood on the edge of Berlin was once home to elite Nazis who carried out some of the worst crimes of the era. Eighty years on, the families that live there are still grappling with its tangled legacy. Sally McGrane reports