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.
Plan of north transept, Various gallery plans, Sections and an Elevation of south aisle wall. The drawing has been framed for the 1985 exhibition. This is a preliminary drawing. Further annotation in pencil and ink survives.
Architectural sculpture (Capitals). The drawing has been framed for the 1985 exhibition. This is a preliminary drawing. Each sketch is labelled in pencil. Further annotation in pencil and ink survives.
Architectural sculpture - Capitals in the north transept. The drawing has been framed for the 1985 exhibition. This is a preliminary drawing. It is entitled in pencil:'St. Demetrius-Capital in the North Transept'. Further annotation in pencil and ink survives.
Marble revetments. The drawing has been framed for the 1985 exhibition. This is a preliminary drawing. It is initialed in pencil (W.S.G.) in the lower right-hand corner. Further annotation in pencil and ink survives.
Marble opus sectile. The drawing has been framed for the 1985 exhibition. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Marble opus sectile panels. The drawing has been framed for the 1985 exhibition. This is a preliminary drawing. It is initialed in pencil (W.S.G.) in the lower right-hand corner. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Marble revetments of colonnade of west gallery. The drawing has been framed for the 1985 exhibition. This is a preliminary drawing. It is initialed in pencil (W.S.G.) in the lower right-hand corner. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Marble revetment of nave colonnade (south side). The drawing has been framed for the 1985 exhibition. This is a preliminary drawing. It is initialed in pencil (W.S.G.) in the lower right-hand corner. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Marble revetment of upper gallery colonnade. The drawing has been framed for the 1985 exhibition. This is a preliminary drawing. It is initialed in pencil (W.S.G.) in the lower right-hand corner. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Marble linings to arch soffits. The drawing has been framed for the 1985 exhibition. This is a preliminary drawing. It is initialed in pencil (W.S.G.) in the lower right-hand corner. Further annotation in pencil survives.
South inner aisle, west wall - Mosaic, Hagios Demetrios with Donors. This is a preliminary drawing. It is numbered 'No 5' in the upper right-hand corner. Further annotation in pencil survives.The drawing was framed for the 1985 exhibition.
Mosaic-North inner aisle, spandrel B, nave: St. Demetrios with Prophet and Donor The drawing has been framed for the 1985 exhibition. This is a preliminary drawing. It is numbered 'No 1'. Further annotation in pencil survives.
North inner aisle - Inscription. The applied technique could be described as: 'painted squeeze'. The drawing has been framed for the 1985 exhibition. This is a preliminary drawing. It is numbered 'No 10' ref. To no 1. Further annotation in pencil survives.
North inner aisle - Mosaics. The drawing has been framed for the 1985 exhibition. This is a preliminary drawing. It is numbered 'No 2' at the top of the front side. Further annotation in pencil survives.
North inner aisle - Mosaics. This is a preliminary drawing. It is numbered 'No 3'. Further annotation in pencil survives.The drawing was framed for the 1985 exhibition.
North inner aisle - Inscription. The applied technique could be described as: 'painted squeeze'. The drawing has been framed for the 1985 exhibition. This is a preliminary drawing. It is numbered 'No 18' ref. to No 2. Further annotation in pencil survives.
North inner aisle - Inscription. The applied technique could be described as: 'painted squeeze'. The drawing has been framed for the 1985 exhibition. This is a preliminary drawing. It is numbered 'No 11' ref. To No 3. Further annotation in ink survives.
North inner aisle - Mosaics. The drawing has been framed for the 1985 exhibition. This is a preliminary drawing. It is numbered 'No 4'. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Mosaic, inscription: north inner aisle, spandrel G, nave The applied technique could be described as: 'painted squeeze'. The drawing has been framed for the 1985 exhibition. This is a preliminary drawing. It is numbered 'No 12' ref. To no 4. Further annotation in pencil survives.
North inner aisle - Donor, inscription. The applied technique could be described as: 'painted squeeze'. The drawing has been framed for the 1985 exhibition. This is a preliminary drawing. It is numbered 'No 13' ref. To no 4. Further annotation in pencil survives. See letter George to Schultz in BRF Corporate dated 09 July 1909
North inner aisle - Inscription in two parts. Preliminary drawing. The applied technique could be described as: 'painted squeeze'. Additional pencil annotation includes: 'No 14 ref. to No 4' The drawing had been framed for the 1985 exhibition in Thessalonike.
Right pier of sanctuary - Mosaics, Hagios Demetrios with Donors, Hagios Sergios. The drawing has been framed for the 1985 exhibition. This is a preliminary drawing. It is numbered 'No 6'. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Left pier of the sanctuary - Mosaics, Hagios Demetrios with Children, Virgin and Hagios Theodoros. The drawing has been framed for the 1985 exhibition. This is a preliminary drawing. It is numbered 'No 7'. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Right pier of sanctuary - Mosaic (face of Donor). The drawing has been framed for the 1985 exhibition. This is a preliminary drawing. It is numbered 'No 9' ref.to no 6. Further annotation in pencil survives.
West elevation. The drawing has been framed for the 1985 exhibition. It is entitled in pencil: 'Plate IIIa The West Façade'. It is initialed (W.S.G.) in pencil in the lower right-hand corner. A note in pencil in the lower left-hand corner reads:'Plate 3,a, The West Façade as drawn by W.S.G. in 1908'. On the basis of the handwriting it can be attributed to G.U.S. Corbett. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Ground plan. This must have been Corbett's working plan. It is annotated in pencil. Copyright through Soteriou.
Ground plan. This must have been Corbett's working plan. It is annotated in pencil. The drawing is a reproduction of no 01/01/07/320. Copyright through Soteriou.
Ground plan. This is a preliminary drawing. It is annotated in ink. Creator: Corbett?, G U.S
Ground plan (apse). This is a preliminary drawing. Further annotation in ink and pencil survives.
Section of the crypt. Further annotation in ink and pencil survives.
Elevation-East wall, north trancept. The drawing is numbered in pencil as 'Fig. 12 It is labelled in pencil:' East Wall of North Trancept'.
Projections-East façade. The drawing is numbered in ink as 'Fig. 13'. It is labelled in pencil:'Projections from the East Façade'. .
Elevation-North wall, south face. The drawing is numbered in pencil as 'Fig. 14'. It is labelled in pencil:'Part of North Wall, South Face'. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Tomb chamber-East elevation. The drawing is numbered in ink as 'Fig. 15'. It is labelled in pencil:'East Elevation of the Tomb-Chamber'.
Section through south trancept. The drawing is numbered in pencil as 'Fig. 10'. It is labelled in pencil:' Section through South Trancept looking Northwards'.
Niche wall - Ciborium. The drawing is numbered in ink as 'Fig. 16'. It is labelled in pencil:'Niche Wall and Ciborium'.
Plan. The drawing is numbered in ink as 'Fig. 24'.
East façade. The drawing is numbered in ink as 'Fig. 23'.
East façade. The drawing is numbered in pencil as 'Fig. 22'. It is labelled in pencil:' The East End of the Church as it may have appeared in the XIV century'.
Section through narthex (lower church). The drawing is numbered in ink as 'Fig. 19'. It is labelled in pencil:' Section through Narthex Chambers of Lower Church looking North'.
Section through southern part of the crypt. The drawing is numbered in ink as 'Fig. 21'. It is labelled in pencil:' Section through Southern Part of Lower Church'. Further annotation in pencil survives.
East elevation of the wall at the east side of the crypt. The drawing is numbered in pencil as 'Fig. 18'. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Section and plan (north end - niche wall in crypt). The drawing is numbered in ink as 'Fig. 17'.
Plans of the apse. The drawing is numbered in ink as 'Fig. 9a and Fig. 9b'.
Section through south trancept. The drawing is numbered in pencil as 'Fig. 8'. It is labelled in pencil:'Section through South Trancept facing Eastwards'. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Section through south trancept. The drawing is numbered in pencil as 'Fig. 7'. It is labelled in pencil:'Section through South Trancept facing West'.
Windows (south wall, north face). The drawing is numbered in ink as 'Fig. 6'. It is labelled in pencil:'The South Wall: North Face showing Three Additional Windows'.
Narthex section. The drawing is numbered in pencil as 'Fig. 4'. It is labelled in pencil:'Narthex looking South'.
Windows. The drawing is numbered in ink as 'Fig. 5'. It is labelled in ink:'Development of Windows in the South Wall, 1a and 1b alternatives'.
Plan - Sections (north wall of the narthex). The drawing is numbered in pencil as 'Fig. 3'. It is labelled in pencil:'The North Wall of the Narthex'.