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.
Carved slab fragments from the apse. This is a Hellenic Society photograph (H.S. 2845). It is initialed (A.J.B.W.) and annotated in pencil at the back.
Carved slab from the apse. This is a Hellenic Society photograph (H.S. 2846). It is initialed (A.J.B.W.) and annotated in pencil at the back.
Slab and antefix. This is a Hellenic Society photograph (H.S. 2844). It is initialed (A.J.B.W.) and annotated in pencil at the back.
View from the north. The photograph is stamped at the back:'Copyright Robert W.S. Weir & The Byzantine Research & Publication Fund'. Further annotation in pencil survives at the back.
View from north-east. The photograph is initialed at the back (W.S.G.). Further annotation in pencil survives.
View from the east. Further annotation in pencil survives at the back of the photograph. See also no 02/06/13/02 (BRF no. 02/01/07/17)
View from south-east. The photograph is stamped at the back:'Copyright Robert W.S. Weir & The Byzantine Research & Publication Fund'. Further annotation in pencil survives. See also no 02/06/13/01 (BRF no. 02/01/07/16).
View from south-east. Further annotation in pencil survives at the back of the photograph. See also: no 02/06/14/02 (BRF no 02/01/07/19).
View from south-east. The photograph is stamped at the back:'Copyright Robert W.S. Weir & The Byzantine Research & Publication Fund'. Further annotation in pencil survives. See also: no 02/06/14/01 (BRF no 02/01/07/18).
East façade. The photograph is initialed at the back (W.S.G.). Further annotation in pencil survives.
East façade. The photograph is stamped at the back:'Copyright Robert W.S. Weir & The Byzantine Research & Publication Fund'. Further annotation in pencil survives.
East façade-South part (detail). The photograph is stamped at the back:'Copyright Robert W.S. Weir & The Byzantine Research & Publication Fund'. Further annotation in pencil survives.
East façade - Diakonikon (detail, north window). The photograph is annotated in pencil ('From Soteriou' ) in the upper right-hand corner. Further annotation also in pencil survives. Copyright through Soteriou
View from the east. This is a postcard. Printed labels in German, Italian and English survive at the back. Copyright through Soteriou
View from the north. The initials W.H. survive in pencil in the upper right-hand corner. Further annotation in pencil survives. See also no: 02/09/03/06 (BRF no 02/01/07/26)
View from the north. The initials W.H. survive in pencil in the upper right-hand corner. It is stamped: 'Copyright - The Byzantine Research & Publication Fund'. Further annotation in pencil survives at the back. See also no: 02/09/03/05 (BRF no 02/01/07/25).
View from north-east. The photograph is stamped at the back:'Copyright Robert W.S. Weir & The Byzantine Research & Publication Fund'. Further annotation in pencil survives.
View of the interior. Further annotation survives at the back of the photograph.
View of the interior. Further annotation survives at the back of the photograph.
View of the interior. Further annotation survives at the back of the photograph.
View of the interior. Further annotation survives at the back of the photograph.
Passage to church. Further annotation in pencil survives at the back of the photograph. Created by George, W. S.?
Passage south of church. The photograoh is stamped at the back:'Copyright Robert W.S. Weir & The Byzantine Research & Publication Fund'. Further annotation in pencil survives at the back.
Capital. The photograph is stamped at the back:'Copyright Robert W.S. Weir & The Byzantine Research & Publication Fund'. Further annotation in pencil survives at the back.Further annotation survives at the back of the photograph.
View of the interior looking east. Further annotation in pencil survives at the back of the photograph. Created by George, W. S.?
View of the interior looking east. The photograph is dated and annotated (with compliments from W.H.) in pencil on the reverse. Further annotation in pencil survives at the back of the photograph.
South aisle looking east. Further annotation in pencil survives. Created by George, W. S.?
South aisle looking east. Further annotation in pencil survives. Created by George, W. S.?
South aisle looking east. The photograph is stamped on the back:'Copyright Robert W.S. Weir & The Byzantine Research & Publication Fund'. Further annotation in pencil survives at the back.
Capital. The photograph is stamped at the back:'Copyright Robert W.S. Weir & The Byzantine Research & Publication Fund'. Further annotation in pencil survives at the back.
Nave - South colonnade. Further annotation in pencil survives at the back of the photograph. Created by George, W. S.?
Nave - South colonnade. The photograph is stamped at the back:'Copyright Robert W.S. Weir & The Byzantine Research & Publication Fund'. Further annotation in pencil survives at the back.
Capital. Further annotation survives at the back of the photograph.
View from north-west. The photograph is stamped at the back:'Copyright Robert W.S. Weir & The Byzantine Research & Publication Fund'. Further annotation in pencil survives at the back.
View of the interior. Further annotation survives at the back of the photograph.
View of the interior. Further annotation survives at the back of the photograph.
View of the interior. Further annotation survives at the back of the photograph.
View of the interior. Further annotation survives at the back of the photograph.
View of the interior. Further annotation survives at the back of the photograph.
General view. This is a commercial photograph. The initials W.S.G. survive in pencil at the back of the photograph.
One of the main piers (detail). The initials W.S.G. survive in pencil at the back of the photograph.
One of the main piers (detail). Unknown photographer. The initials R.W.S.W. and other annotation survive in pencil at the back of the photograph. Commercial print acquired by Schultz (R.W.S.W as he was later known)
One of the main piers (detail). The initials W.S.G. survive in pencil at the back of the photograph.
View from the west. The photograph is stamped at the back:'Copyright Robert W.S. Weir & The Byzantine Research & Publication Fund'. The initials 'S.H.B' survive in pencil in the upper right-hand corner. Further annotation in pencil survives.
View from the west. The photograph is stamped at the back:'Copyright Robert W.S. Weir & The Byzantine Research & Publication Fund'. The initials 'S.H.B' survive in pencil in the upper right-hand corner. Further annotation in pencil survives.
View from the north. The photograph is stamped at the back:'Copyright Robert W.S. Weir & The Byzantine Research & Publication Fund'. The initials 'S.H.B' survive in pencil in the upper right-hand corner. Further annotation in pencil survives.
View from the north-west. This is a postcard. It is labelled in English and French at the back. Creator unknown.
View from the west. The photograph is stamped at the back:'Copyright Robert W.S. Weir & The Byzantine Research & Publication Fund'. The initials 'S.H.B' survive in pencil in the upper right-hand corner. Further annotation in pencil survives.
View from the north. The photograph is stamped at the back:'Copyright Robert W.S. Weir & The Byzantine Research & Publication Fund'. The initials 'S.H.B' survive in pencil in the upper right-hand corner. Further annotation in pencil survives.
View from the north-east. The photograph is initialed:'W.S.G.' in pencil in the lower right-hand corner. Further annotation in pencil survives.