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.
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'.
Upper row: Longitudinal section, Cross section, West elevation. Lower row: Ground plan. The drawing is entitled in ink: 'The Church of Sta Sophia at Andravida in Elis Greece'. It is labelled In ink: 'Long Section', 'Cross Section', 'West Elevation'. Further annotation in ink survives.
Sketches, Sections and Plans of various architectural members and parts of the building. The drawing is entitled in ink: 'The Church of Sta Sophia at Andravida in Elis Greece'. Further annotation in ink survives.
Upper rwo: Longitudinal section (left) - Cross section. The drawing is entitled in ink: 'The Monastery of Blachernai Elis Greece'. It is labelled in ink: 'Long Section', 'Section across Narthex', 'Plan', 'Plan over Narthex', 'Cross Section'.
Details of the narthex door, the roof, capitals, cornices, sculpture and masonry. The drawing is entitled in ink: 'The Monastery of Blachernai Elis Greece'. It is labelled in ink: 'Door on North Side over the Narthex', 'Detail of Jmb and Arch', 'SE Angle of Narthex Roof', 'SE Angle of Sanctuary Roof', 'Roundel in an Arch Spandril on the West Front', 'Sill Course at East End made up of Fragments', 'Cornice to the Nave', ' NE Angle of Narthex Roof', 'Masonry Details from the East End and North Side', 'Nave Capital', 'Narthex Capital'.
Upper row: Cross section to east, Longitudinal section, East end - Lower row: Ground plan, North side, West end. The drawing is entitled in ink: 'Hagios Nikolaos Isova Greece'. It is labelled in ink: 'Cross Section to East', 'Longitudinal Section to North', 'East End', 'Plan', 'North Side', 'West End'. Further anntotation in ink survives.
Upper row: 'Cross Section', 'Longitudinal Section', 'East Façade', 'Ground Plan', 'North Side', 'West End'. The drawing is entitled in ink: 'Hagios Nikolaos Isova Greece' - 'Restoration'. It is labelled in ink: 'Cross Section to East', 'Longitudinal Section to North', 'East End', 'Plan', 'North Side', 'West End'.
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.
Details of the castle and of armorial bearings in the church of Hagios Georgios. The drawing is labelled in ink: 'St George Geranki - Coat of Arms', 'Geraki - Huchette on South Wall', 'Geraki - Battlements on South Wall', 'Huchette Restored'. It is signed in ink: RT 1906.
South façade. The drawing is annotated in ink. It has been misnumbered in pencil: 'Monemvasia 18'. On the back: Hellenic Society label with the note: 'Lakonia, Medieval Churches: H. Georgios Kitta from the S, BSA XV p. 189, fig. 3a, R. Traquair'.
Taxiarches, Areopolis (left): Detail of the vaulting - Hagios Nikolaos, Platza (right, on the top): North façade, Plan of the dome - Taxiarches (Hagioi Asomatoi), Kouloumi (right, at the bottom): Carved panels from the iconostasis. The drawing is labelled in ink: 'Sketches from Mani'. It is numbered in pencil: 'Plate III'. On the back: Hellenic Society label with the note: 'Lakonia, Medieval Churches: Sketches from Mani from the S, BSA XV p. 182, fig. 2, R. Traquair'. It has been misnumbered in pencil: 'Monemvasia 19'.
North-east view. The drawing is labelled in ink: 'Areopolis, Hagios Taxiarchos'. It is dated in ink (1909). On the back: Hellenic Society label with the note: 'Lakonia, Medieval Churches: H. Taxiarches, Areopolis, BSA XV p. 189, fig. 3b, R. Traquair'. The name of the church has been mispelled.
Hagia Sophia: Longitudinal section, plan - Hagioi Theodoroi: Plan. The drawing is entitled in ink: 'Hagia Sophia Koutiphari', 'Ruined Church near Hagios Theodoros Prasteion'. It is labelled in ink. On the back: Hellenic Society label with the note: 'Lakonia, Medieval Churches: H. Sophia at Koutiphari - H. Theodoros at Prasteion, BSA XV p. 195, fig. 5, R. Traquair'.
Asomatos, Kakovouno: Part of the iconostasis - Hagioi Theodoroi, Vamvaka: Window of south-east apse - Hagios Georgios, Kitta: Column - Hai-Strategos, Boularioi: Details of the iconostasis - Hagios Nikolaos, Ochia: Guilloche pattern from the west front. The drawing is entitled in ink: 'Lower Mani, Details'. It is annotated in ink. On the back: Hellenic Society label with the note: 'Lakonia, Medieval Churches: Churches of W. Mani: Details of Decoration, BSA XV pl. XVI, R. Traquair'. The drawing is misnumbered in pencil: 'Monemvasia 20'.
Ground plan. This is a preliminary drawing. It is annotated in pencil. It is labelled in pencil on the reverse: 'Mistras - Efentiko Church'.
Plan of the galleries. This is a preliminary drawing. It is annotated in pencil.
Plan of the galleries. The drawing is labelled in ink: 'Plan of the Galleries'. Further annotation in pencil survives.
Longitudinal section with iconography. This is a preliminary drawing. It is annotated in pencil.
Cross section with iconography. This is a preliminary drawing. It is annotated in pencil.
Cross section with iconography. This is a preliminary drawing. It is annotated in pencil.
Isometric section. The drawing is labelled in pencil:'Efentiko Mistras'.
Refectory (plan). The drawing is entitled in pencil: 'Efentiko - Refectory'.
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.
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.
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.
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. 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.