Welcome to Harrow Photos

According to A Directory of London Photographs 1841-1908, Hills and Saunders opened their first photographic studio in Porchester Terrace, Bayswater in 1869. By the end of the 19th century they had become an important photographic business chain with 2 branches in Porchester Terrace (one of which is believed to have been the headquarters) and one each in Sloane Street London, Eton, Aldershot, Sandhurst, Oxford, Cambridge and Harrow on the Hill. Many of the prints from their collections bear the stamp on the reverse “Photographers by Appointment to Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales”.

In 1865 an advertisement appeared in the Harrow Gazette and General Advertiser for “Just published New Photographs of the Principal Objects of Interest in Harrow and Neighbourhood by Hills & Saunders (from 6d. to 4s. each)” The business flourished in Harrow and finally changed hands in the 1980s; its vast stock of negatives were subsequently stored in basements and garden sheds. Eventually they were rescued and found a dedicated storage area in Harrow School.

Over a period of years the Harrow School Archives worked to preserve the conserve the Hills & Saunders photographic collection through light cleaning, sleeving and boxing in accordance with archival standards; scanning and documenting the images; and providing wider access through a web site. To date over 13,000 of the images have been preserved, scanned and can be found as thumbnails on this website.

In 2009 ownership of the collection was transferred into private hands providing an exciting future for the photos. This website is the hub for this unique and amazing collection. The majority of the collection which has survived consists of glass plate negatives, dating from around 1870 to 1970, totalling approximately 80,000. A large proportion relate to school activities but there are also some 20,000 unnumbered plates dating from c1880-1940 depicting mainly local views, institutions and people. The collection is particularly rich in individual portraits and groups of children, parents and pets. They show local school and church buildings, local people and social events, such as weddings and pageants. This collection is a valuable historical source and can be used by researchers for many purposes including genealogy and costume history.