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.
Viw of the church from the east. Further annotation in pencil survives on the back of the photograph. See also photo no. BRF 02/01/09/012.
Viw of the church from the east. Further annotation in pencil survives on the back of the photograph. See also photo no. BRF 02/01/09/011.
View of the interior of the church, looking north-east. Further annotation in pencil survives on the back of the photograph. See also photo no. BRF 02/01/09/014.
View of the interior of the church, looking north-east. Further annotation in pencil survives on the back of the photograph. See also photo no. BRF 02/01/09/013.
View of the interior of the church, looking east. Further annotation in pencil survives on the back of the photograph.
View of the interior of the church, looking north-east: detail of the sculptures. Further annotation in pencil survives on the back of the photograph.
East façade of the church. Further annotation in pencil survives on the back of the photograph. NB See also photo no. BRF 02/01/09/018.
East façade of the church. Further annotation survives on the back of the photograph. See also photo no. BRF 02/01/09/017.
View of the church from the south-east. Further annotation survives on the back of the photograph.
View of the church from the south-west.The ambulatory had a porch in the late 1800s as is recorded in photographs. This seems to have been a much later addition to the structure and does not survive today. Further annotation survives on the back of the photograph.
East façade of the church. Further annotation survives on the back of the photograph.
Relief slab in the south façade of the church. Further annotation survives on the back of the photograph.
View of the church from south-east. Further annotation in pencil survives on the back of the photograph.
Capital of the inner colonnade of the church. Further annotation in pencil survives on the back of the photograph.
Capital of the inner colonnade of the church. Further annotation in pencil survives on the back of the photograph. See also photo no. BRF 02/01/09/026.
Capital of the inner colonnade of the church. Further annotation in pencil survives on the back of the photograph. See also photo no. BRF 02/01/09/025.
Capital of the inner colonnade of the church. Further annotation in pencil survives on the back of the photograph. See also photo no. BRF 02/01/09/028.
Capital of the inner colonnade of the church. Further annotation in pencil survives on the back of the photograph. See also photo no. BRF 02/01/09/027.
Panel of the Hagia Theodora's tomb. Further annotation in pencil survives on the back of the photograph.
Distant view of the bridge. Further annotation survives on the back of the photograph.
View of the bridge. Further annotation survives on the back of the photograph.
General view of the modern square.
General view of the east end. The photograph is annotated in pencil at the back: 'Polygonal Tower and West End of Castle Patras'.
The polygonal tower. The photograph is annotated in pencil at the back: 'The Polygonal Tower at the S.W angle of the Castle Patras'.
Niche on face of polygonal tower. Further annotation in pencil survives at the back of the photograph.
The polygonal tower (interior view). Further annotation in pencil survives at the back of the photograph.
The polygonal tower . The photograph is annotated in pencil at the back: 'The polygonal tower at the S.W. angle of the Castle Patra'.
View from the south-west. Further annotation in pecil survives at the back of the photograph.
View from the west. Further annotation in pecil survives at the back of the photograph.
View from the west. Further annotation in pencil survives at the back of the photograph.
View from the north. Further annotation in pencil survives at the back of the photograph.
View from the north. Further annotation in pencil survives at the back of the photograph.
View from the north. Further annotation in pencil survives at the back of the photograph.
Closer view of the arcade (north side). Further annotation in pencil survives at the back of the photograph.
View of the castle. Further annotation in pencil survives at the back of the photograph.
View of the castle. Further annotation in pencil survives at the back of the photograph.
Distant view. The photograph is annotated in pencil at the back.
Distant view. The photograph is annotated in pencil at the back.
Distant view. The photograph is annotated in pencil at the back.
General view. Further annotation in pencil survives at the back of the photograph. Donated by Leaf. W?
View of landscape from the walls. Further annotation in pencil survives at the back of the photograph. Donated by Leaf. W?
View of the interior. Further annotation in pencil survives at the back of the photograph. Donated by Leaf. W?
View of the bridge and the chapel. Further annotation in pencil survives at the back of the photograph. Donated by Leaf. W?
View of the church from the south. This is a Hellenic Society photograph. It is numbered (H.S. 2329) in pencil a the back. According to the photographic list of the Hellenic Society J. Penoyre is the donor of the item.
View of other monastic buildings. This is a Hellenic Society photograph. It is numbered (H.S. 2330) in pencil a the back. According to the photographic list of the Hellenic Society J. Penoyre is the donor of the item.
South-east view of the church. Further annotation in pencil survives at the back of the photograph.
South-west view of the church. Further annotation in pencil survives at the back of the photograph.
South façade. Further annotation in pencil survives at the back of the photograph.
North-east view of the church. Further annotation in pencil survives at the back of the photograph.
South-vest view. Further annotation in pencil survives at the back of the photograph.