Relics of Old London

Relics of old London: Photography and The Spirit of The City brings together a collection of photographs of vulnerable buildings - particularly small domestic buildings - in London which were under threat from demolition in the 1870s and 1880s. The imminent destruction of the humble Oxford Arms inn near St Paul’s Cathedral triggered a group of friends to form ‘The Society for Photographing Relics’ in 1875 to preserve an annual record of buildings that were under threat from demolition, ensuring some visual evidence remained of local landmarks.