Nottingham · Est. 1750

HistoryLens

Real newspaper stories from Victorian and Edwardian Nottingham, tied to the streets where they happened.

Coming Soon

Nottingham, England

The Archive

Two centuries of Nottingham life, waiting to be found

History Lens is an app for exploring Nottingham through the newspaper reports of the people who lived here. Every story is authentic — drawn from the British Newspaper Archive — and pinned to the exact street or building where it occurred.

Walk the city and stories surface around you. Stand where a Victorian baker once ran his shop. Read the inquest report from the pub that stood on this corner. Discover that the same coroner presided over inquests for forty years, and follow him through the archive.

"The city has always had these stories. They were recorded once, in the newspapers of the day, and then forgotten."

Edmund Treadwell, Archivist
01
Authentic Sources

Every article is drawn verbatim from the British Newspaper Archive. Nothing is invented or embellished.

02
Location-Based Discovery

Stories are tied to real coordinates. Explore the map and the archive surfaces around you as you move through the city.

03
Notable People

Follow recurring characters across decades. A policeman, a coroner, a publican. The city becomes a cast of real individuals.

04
Special Locations

Some buildings hold multiple stories across different years. Return to them over time and watch the history accumulate.

Legal

Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 2026

Overview

History Lens is committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and your rights in relation to it. We collect the minimum data necessary to operate the app.

Data We Collect

History Lens collects the following data:

  • Location data — your device location is used while the app is in use to surface nearby stories on the map. Location data is processed on-device and is not transmitted to our servers or stored.
  • Purchase data — if you purchase the full archive unlock, this transaction is processed by Apple via the App Store. We do not store your payment information. Purchase status is stored locally on your device.
  • App usage data — story discovery progress and preferences are stored locally on your device using AsyncStorage. This data does not leave your device.

Data We Do Not Collect

  • We do not collect your name, email address, or any account information
  • We do not use analytics services or third-party tracking
  • We do not serve advertisements
  • We do not share any data with third parties
  • We do not collect location data in the background

Third-Party Services

History Lens uses Apple's in-app purchase infrastructure for the full archive unlock. Apple's privacy policy applies to that transaction. The app uses Google Maps for the map display; Google's privacy policy applies to map tile requests.

Data Storage

All app data — your discovered stories, preferences, and progress — is stored locally on your device. If you delete the app, this data is deleted with it. We do not maintain any server-side record of your usage.

Children

History Lens is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect data from children.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The current version will always be available at this URL. Continued use of the app after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or how your data is handled, please contact us at hello@historylens.net.

Get in Touch

Contact & Support

For support, feedback, or enquiries about History Lens, please email hello@historylens.net