About the BRF Collection
The Byzantine Research Fund Archive (BRF) is a unique collection of architectural drawings, photographs and notebooks created from the late 19th century to the middle of the 20th century by a small team of British architects trained in the Arts & Crafts tradition whose studies of Byzantium shaped the Byzantine Revival in later years.
The collection contains over 1,500 drawings and 1,000 photographs, numerous notebooks and the corporate records associated with the Byzantine Research and Publication Fund, the original body created in 1907 to support this work. Although the Fund was associated with the BSA from the time it was founded, it was not until 1937 that the BSA formerly took over the property and operation of it. The BRF Archive contains records of Byzantine monuments in Greece, Turkey, Italy, the Near East, Egypt, and Cyprus. In some cases, the collection contains the only record of a monument before its destruction in modern times, the most important example being the church of Hagios Demetrios in Thessalonike which was almost completely destroyed in the Great Fire of 1917 shortly after being recorded by one of the BRF architects, Walter Sykes George. It also contains personal records of the following architects; Robert Weir Schultz, Sidney Howard Barnsley, Walter Sykes George, William Harvey, Harold Swainson, Peter Gus Corbett, and A.H.S (Peter) Megaw. The aspirations of the BRF Archive Project today are to make these materials accessible to a wide range of researchers.
West elevation - Part of cross section. This is a preliminary drawing. It is annotated in pencil.
Upper part: West elevation - Lower part: East elevation. The drawing is entitled in pencil: 'Mistras Church of Saints Theodore'. It is numbered (no 3) in pencil in the upper right-hand corner. It is labelled in ink: 'West Elevation' , 'East Elevation'. Further annotation in pencil survives.
East elevation. This is a preliminary drawing. It is dated in pencil (1890). It is labelled in pencil: 'Church of Nicolas Mistras'. The church has been mis-identified with that of Hagios Nikolaos.
Ground plan showing the marble revetment (opus sectile) on the floor. The drawing is entitled in pencil: 'Mistras Church of St Demetrius'. It is labelled in ink: 'A Plan of the Church'. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Ground plan. This is a preliminary drawing. It is annotated in pencil.
Upper floor plan. This is a preliminary drawing. It is annotated in pencil.
Ground plan with marble revetment (opus sectile) on the floor. This is a preliminary drawing. It is annotated in pencil.
Gallery plan. The drawing is entitled in pencil: 'Mistras Church of S. Demetrius'. It is labelled: 'A Plan of the Galleries'. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Upper part: Cross section looking west - Lower part: Cross section looking east. The drawing is entitled in pencil: 'Mistras Church of S. Demetrius'. It is labelled: 'Section Looking Towards Entrance' and 'Section Looking Towards Bema'. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Cross section looking west. This is a preliminary drawing. It is annotated in pencil.
Longitudinal section. This is a preliminary drawing. It is annotated in pencil.
Cross section looking east. This is a preliminary drawing. It is annotated in pencil.
Upper part: South-west elevation, Lower part: Longitudinal section. The drawing is entitled in pencil: 'Mistras Church of S. Demetrius'. It is labelled: 'South-West Elevation' and 'Section Looking North-East'. Further annotation in pencil survives. The drawing was exhibited in the 1936 Royal Academy Exhibition as panels 486 and 487 in catalogue
North-west elevation. This is a preliminary drawing. It is annotated in pencil.
South-west elevation. This is a preliminary drawing. It is annotated in pencil.
South-east elevation. This is a preliminary drawing. It is annotated in pencil.
Upper part: South-east elevation, Lower part: North-west elevation. The drawing is entitled in pencil: 'Mistras Church of S. Demetrius'. It is labelled: 'South-East Elevation' and 'North-West Elevation'. Further annotation in pencil survives. It is numbered (no 5) in pencil in the upper right-hand corner. The drawing was exhibited in the 1936 Royal Academy exhibition as panels 484 and 485 in catalogue
Eagle panel (floor revetment) - Parts of lintel and door frames. This is a preliminary drawing. It is annotated in pencil.
Parts of the sculpture decoration of the bema. The drawing is entitled in pencil: 'Mistras - Church of St Demetrius'. It is labelled in ink. Further annotation in pencil survives. The drawing was exhibited in the 1936 Royal Academy exhibition as panel 490 in catalogue
Parts of the sculpture decoration of the bema. This is a preliminary drawing. It is annotated in pencil.
Parts of the sculpture decoration of the iconostasis. This is a preliminary drawing. It is annotated in pencil.
Parts of the sculpture decoration of the iconostasis (part of north pier). This is a preliminary drawing. It is annotated in pencil.
Parts of the sculpture decoration of the iconostasis (part of pier). This is a preliminary drawing. It is annotated in pencil.
Parts of the sculpture decoration of the iconostasis (section and elevation of parts of piers). The drawing is entitled in pencil: 'Mistras Church of St. Demetrius'. Further annotation in pencil survives. The unfinished sketch of an elevation(?) survives in pencil on the reverse.
Marble floor revetment (opus sectile) - Door and lintel mouldings/jambs. This is a preliminary drawing. It is annotated in pencil.
Rubbing - Carved parapet slab. The rubbing is on newspaper ('The Scotsman') dated 23/04/1890.
Rubbing - Carved parapet slab. The rubbing is on newspaper ('The Scotsman') dated 23/04/1890.
Rubbing - Carved parapet slab. The rubbing is on newspaper ('The Scotsman') dated 23/04/1890.
Upper part: Longitudinal section - Lower part: Plan of Lower church (left), Plan of Upper church (right). The drawing is entitled in pencil: 'Mistras, Monastery of the Peribleptos'. It is labelled in ink: 'Section Looking North', 'A Plan of the Lower Church', ' A Plan of the Upper Church'. It Further annotation in pencil survives.
Plan. This is a preliminary drawing. It is annotated in pencil and crayon.
Two attached chapels on the east side - Part of elevation. This is a preliminary drawing. It is annotated in pencil and crayon.
Longitudinal section with iconography. This is a preliminary drawing. It is annotated in pencil and crayon.
Part of east elevation. This is a preliminary drawing. It is annotated in crayon.
South elevation. This is a preliminary drawing. It is annotated in pencil and crayon. The unfinished sketch of a plan of the church survives on the reverse.
Parts of sculpture. This is a preliminary drawing. It is dated (1890) in pencil in upper left-hand corner.
Parts of sculpture from a Pantokrator niche. This is a preliminary drawing. It is annotated in pencil.
South elevation. This is a preliminary drawing. It is annotated in pencil.
East elevation. This is a preliminary drawing. It is annotated in pencil.
Elevation and two plans of the refectory. The drawing is entitled in pencil. It was exhibited in the 1936 Royal Academy Exhibition as panel 495 in the catalogue
Refectory - parts of plans. This is a preliminary drawing. It is dated (1890) in pencil on the top. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Refectory - elevation. This is a preliminary drawing.
Refectory - elevation. This is a preliminary drawing. It is dated (1890) in pencil on the top. Further annotation in pencil and crayon survives.
Rubbing - Detail of carved slab?. The rubbing is annotated ('Theotokos Mistras') on the reverse.
Plan of the church. The drawing is entitled in pencil: 'Mistras Church of St Sophia'. It is labelled in ink: 'A Plan of the Church'.
Plan of the church. This is a preliminary drawing. It is annotated in pencil.
Plan of the church with marble (opus sectile) pavement. This is a preliminary drawing. It is dated in pencil.
Plan of the church with marble (opus sectile) pavement. The drawing is entitled in ink: 'Church of S. Sophia Mistras'. It is labelled: 'A Plan of the Pavement'. It is annotated in pencil.
Upper part: North elevation - Lower part: Cross section. The drawing is entitled in pencil: 'Mistras Church of S. Sophia' - It is labelled in ink: 'North Elevation', 'Section Looking Towards West End'. The drawing was exhibited (nos 479-480) in the 1936 Royal Academy exhibition.