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.
Ground plan. The drawing is signed in ink on the lower left, "Pieter Rodeck's work, L. Alma-Tadema" and annotated in pencil in the lower left-hand corner, "The Dormition of the Virgin, Skripou. Traced from the original drawing made on the spot, Sept. 1897." Further annotation in pencil survives.
Ground plan. This is a preliminary drawing. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Ground plan. This is a preliminary drawing. Futher annotation in pencil survives.
Ground plan. This is a preliminary drawing. Futher annotation in pencil survives.
Longitudinal section. This is a preliminary drawing. It is signed in ink in the lower right-hand corner in ink "Pieter Rodeck's work. L. Alma-Tadema" (possibly the Dutch Painter who was Rodeck's uncle) . Annotation in pencil in the upper left-hand corner, "The Dormition of the Virgin Skripou, Greece. Measured and drawn on the spot Sept. 1897" (possible written by Rodeck). Further annotation in pencil survives.
Longitudinal section. This is a preliminary drawing. Futher annotation in pencil survives.
West elevation. This is a preliminary drawing in pencil. It is signed in ink (left centre), "Pieter Rodeck's work, L. Alma- Tadema" and annotated in pencil, "The Dormition of the Virgin Skripou, measured and drawn on the spot, Sept. 1897". Further annotation in pencil survives.
South elevation. This is a preliminary drawing in pencil. It is signed in ink, "Pieter Rodeck's work" in upper right hand (probably also by L. Alma- Tadema) and dated in pencil in the upper left-hand corner, "The Dormition of the Virgin, Skripou, Greece. Measured and drawn on the spot Sept. 1897." Further annotation in pencil survives.
East elevation. This is a preliminary drawing in pencil. It is signed in ink in the upper right corner, "Pieter Rodeck's work - L. Alma-Tadema" and annotated in pencil in the upper left-hand, "The Dormition of the Virgin, Skripou, Greece. Measured and drawn on the spot Sept. 1897." . Further annotation in pencil survives.
West elevation. This is a preliminary drawing. It has been left unfinished.
Plan of the crypt (left) - Ground plan of the naos (right). The drawing is entitled in ink:'Monastery of St Nicolas near Skripou Boeotia'. It is labelled in ink: 'Plan of Crypt' and 'Plan'.
Plan of the naos. This is a preliminary drawing. It is labelled in ink: 'Monastery Church of St Nicholas Scripou'. Further annotation in ink and pencil survives.
Plan of the crypt. This is a preliminary drawing. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Cross section (left) - Longitudinal section (right). The drawing is entitled in ink: 'Monastery of St Nicolas near Skripou Boeotia'. It is labelled in ink:'Section on Line A-A' and 'Section on Line B-B'.
Cross section. This is a preliminary drawing. It has been cancelled (crossed out).
Longitudinal section. This is a preliminary drawing. It has been cancelled (crossed out).Unfinished sketches in ink and pencil survive on the reverse.
Cross section. This is a preliminary drawing. It is labelled in ink:'Monastery Church of St Nicholas Scripou'. Further annotation in ink and pencil survives. Unfinished sketches in ink and pencil survive on the reverse.
Longitudinal section. This is a preliminary drawing. It is labelled in ink:'Monastery of St Nicholas Scripou'. Further annotation in ink and pencil survives.
Isometric section. The drawing is entitled in ink:'Monastery of St Nicolas near Skripou Boeotia'. It is labelled in ink:'An Isometrical View looking South-West'.
West elevation. The drawing is labelled in ink:'West Elevation'. Further annotation in pencil survives.
West elevation. This is a preliminary drawing. Further annotation in pencil survives.
East elevation (left) - North elevation (right). The drawing is entitled in ink:'Monastery of St Nicolas near Skripou Boeotia'. It is labelled in ink:'East Elevation' and 'North Elevation'.
North elevation. This is a preliminary drawing. It is labelled in ink:'Monastery Church of St Nicholas Scripou', 'North Elevation'. Further annotation in pencil survives. Unfinished sketches in ink and pencil survive on the reverse.
East elevation. This is a preliminary drawing. It is labelled in ink:'Monastery Church of St Nicholas Scripou', 'East Elevation'. Further annotation in pencil survives.
East elevation. This is a prelimianry drawing. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Details of various mouldings. This is a preliminary drawing. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Column - Doorways. The drawing is entitled in ink:'Monastery of St Nicolas near Skripou Boeotia'. Futher annotation in pencil survives.
Arches with brick onaments. This is a preliminary drawing. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Columns and arches with brick ornaments. This is a preliminary drawing. On the reverse: unfinished sketch of ground plan of the church. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Column and capital - Detail of moulding. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Detail of the vaulting of the crypt. This is a preliminary drawing. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Fragments of the original iconostasis. The drawing is labelled in ink:'Detailed Fragments of Original Iconostasis'. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Plan of the dome (on top) - Longitudinal section (middle row on the left) - Ground plan (middle row on the right) - Various mouldings (lower row on the left) - Cross section (lower row on the right). This is a preliminary drawing in pencil. It is annotated in pencil on the upper left-hand corner, "St. Sostes, Skripou, Greece. measured and drawin on the spot, October 1897" and signed in ink in the lower right-hand corner, "Pieter Rodeck's work L. Alma-Tadema". Further annotation in pencil survives. The church is referred to as 'Hagios Sostes'.
East elevation (on the left) - South elevation (on the right). This is a preliminary drawing in pencil. It is annotated in pencil on the upper left-hand corner, "S. Sostes, Skripou, Greece. measured and drawn on the spot, Oct. 1897" and signed in ink in the lower right-hand corner, "Pieter Rodeck's work, L. Alma- Tadema". Further annotation in pencil survives. The church is referred to as 'Hagios Sostes'.
Upper row: South elevation (on the left) - East elevation (on the right), Middle row: Longitudinal ection (on the left) - Cross section (on the right) - Lower row: Ground plan (on the left) - Dome plan (on the right). Further annotation in pencil survives. The church is referred to as 'Hagios Sostes'.
Upper row: South elevation (on the left) - East elevation (on the right), Middle Row: Longitudinal section (on the left) - Cross section (on the right) - Lower row: Ground plan (on the left) - Dome plan (on the right). This is a preliminary drawing. Further annotation in pencil survives. The church is referred to as 'Hagios Sostes'.
Various Ionic and impost capitals and columns from various sites in Boeotia. (St Nicholas near Skripou, St George near St Luke Monastery). A note in pencil dated in 22/03/1939 (possibly written by Peter Megaw) identifies P. Rodeck as the creator of the drawing.
Ground plan. Final ink drawing labelled:'Hagia Paraskeve Chalkis'. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Ground plan. Pencil tracing of drawing 01/01/03/001. The drawing bears a note in pencil in the lower right-hand corner stating: "Traced from R. Traquair drawing 6/2/21" .
Ground plan (top) - Unfinished part of elevation (bottom). This is a preliminary drawing. It is dated in pencil in the lower right-hand corner. As noted in ink in the lower left-hand corner A.H.S. Megaw copied it on October 13th 1932. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Upper row: 'Longitudinal Section' (right) - 'North Elevation' (left). Lower row: 'Ground Plan' (right) - East elevation (left). Fragments of the iconostasis (upper right corner) - Brick ornaments (lower right corner). The drawing is entitled: 'The Church of the Transfiguration, Salona, Greece'. A note (R. Traquair drawing) survives in the lower right hand corner. Further annotation in ink survives.
Topographical map of the district around the monastery.
South-west view of the Great church showing the exo-narthex. The exo-narthex of the Katholikon was removed in the late 16th c. This is a preliminary drawing. It has been cancelled as experimental. Further annotation in pencil survives.
South-west view showing the exo-narthex. The exo-narthex of the Katholikon was removed in the late 16th c. This is a preliminary drawing. Further annotation in pencil survives.
South-west view of the Great church showing the exo-narthex. The exo-narthex of the Katholikon was removed in the late 16th c. This is a preliminary drawing. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Panagia church - Plan of the narthex. This is a preliminary drawing. It is labelled in ink: 'Small Church', 'Narthex of Small Church and Room over Same'. Further annotation in ink and pencil survives.
Plan of the galleries and the dome. This is a preliminary drawing. Further annotation in pencil survives.