Yesterday I took a trip to the National Archives at Kew. Along with researching some family history, there were two things I was looking for: the records of the 1910 property valuation for Bolton and the 1941 National Farm Survey. Both of these records hold information on home owners, property and land and are linked to detailed maps of the area. The 1910 valuation undepinned new taxation and the 1941 Farm survey was part of the national drive to maximise home production at a time when the 'Battle of the Atlantic' was limiting imports. It took a while to find the taxation records (Bolton for once appearing as 'Bolton' not hidden in Bishop Wilton or Fangfoss), but by mid-afternoon I had located a wide range of information from both sources. The Farm survey is particularly interesting with details of who is working on each farm, land use, availability of electricity and water supply and even a 'rating' of the farm -A,B or C. Hopefully this will form the basis of one or two talks in the coming months.