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Acknowledgements
This project could not have been undertaken without the generous financial support of John Lyon’s Charity for which we are extremely grateful. A further acknowledgement is made to Harrow School for providing the equipment and facilities to scan glass plate negatives from the collection in their care. Appreciation is also expressed to Alasdair Kirk for his assistance and continued support in developing this website.
The Project
The objective of this project was three-fold. First, to conserve the Hills & Saunders photographic collection through light cleaning, sleeving and boxing in accordance with archival standards. Second, to scan and document the images. Third, to provide wider public access through a web site, to as much of the collection as could be achieved with the funds available. 8,265 images have been successfully preserved and scanned.
History of the Hills & Saunders Photographic Collection
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”.
The Hills and Saunders Collection, referred to in this website, is a rare and unique photographic record of the area in and around Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex. An advertisement for “Just published New Photographs of the Principal Objects of Interest in Harrow and Neighbourhood by Hills & Saunders (from 6d. to 4s. each)” appears in the Harrow Gazette and General Advertiser of 2 November 1865. Since this is earlier than the date claimed for the studio in Porchester Terrace more research into the origin of the business is clearly needed.
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. 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.
John Lyon’s Charity
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