Collection: Metropolitan Board of Works Photographs

Description

The collection comprises 107 albumen prints of London landmarks. The prints are mounted on paper, and every sheet has one print on each side. The photographs have been attributed to the photographer Frederick York because of the similarity of coverage to the archive's existing holdings of images by York. It is also surmised that the photographs were taken for the Metropolitan Board of Works as a sign indicating work by the Board is seen in the image of the Mansion House (MBW02/003).

The photographs show a range of sites, both ecclesiastical and secular, including newly constructed buildings and those about to be demolished. Many of capital’s most famous landmarks are shown, such as the Palace of Westminster; Westminster Abbey; Trafalgar Square; St Paul’s Cathedral; Somerset House; Horseguards; Mansion House and Temple Church. The collection also includes a number royal residences, both historic and contemporary (such as St James’s Palace, Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and the Tower of London) and government offices (such as the Foreign Office Building and the Treasury Building).

Other types of sites include buildings for public entertainment, such as the Royal Alhambra Palace and the Royal Albert Hall; London bridges; clubhouses; indoor markets and exchange halls; homes for old and injured servicemen; mansion blocks; hotels and educational establishments.

In addition to these sites, there are significant number of statues and monuments featured in the collection, including Nelson’s Column; the Duke of York Column; the statue of Sir John Franklin; the Albert Memorial (Prince Consort National Memorial) in Kensington Gardens; Edward the Confessor’s shrine in Westminster Abbey; the statue of Edward Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby; the Princess Charlotte Memorial in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle; the statue of Colin Campbell, Field Marshal Lord Clyde; the statue of Richard I at Old Palace Yard and Wellington Arch in Hyde Park.

It is estimated that the images were taken in the 1870s as a number of the sites featured were built, altered or demolished around this time.

Archival History

The collection was acquired by The English Heritage Archive in 2013.

Content

Rights

© Historic England Archive