Society for Photographing Relics of Old London

The Society for Photographing Relics of Old London was formed in 1875, to form a permanent visual record of historic buildings in London that were threatened with alteration or demolition. The stimulus was the Oxford Arms, a traditional galleried pub, which was about to be pulled down as part of the new Old Bailey development in 1875. The society subsequently campaigned to record disappearing sights, hurriedly commissioning photographs to capture buildings for posterity.

Between 1875 and 1886 they produced photographic records of further buildings under threat, which were annotated with descriptive text by the painter Alfred Marks. The focus was architectural, not social. The photographs deliberately exclude signs, notices, people and traffic, to concentrate on the appearance of the buildings’ structure.

According to Alfred Marks, the Honorary Secretary, the Society for Photographing Relics of Old London, was formed by a few friends collectively worried about the disappearing architectural heritage of the city. The availability of the 'photographic views' was publicised through a letter to The Times and as the project was well received, they continued the series. In all twelve issues were produced annually from 1875, comprising a total of 120 photographs.