Bedford Lemere

Bedford Lemere, formally Bedford Lemere & Co, was a British architectural photography firm established in London in 1861 by Bedford Lemere (1839–1911). The business became one of the leading English firms in its field between approximately 1870 and 1930, when photography was increasingly used to record newly completed buildings, advertise property, document interiors, and preserve evidence of architectural and industrial change. The firm operated from 147 Strand, London, for most of its best-known period, occupying those premises from 1867 until 1947. Bedford Lemere’s son, Henry Bedford Lemere, commonly known as Harry, joined the business in 1881. Harry became the principal figure behind the firm during its heyday and is regarded as one of the best-known architectural photographers of his generation. The company’s work was not limited to monuments or elite commissions. Its clients included property companies, estate agents, decorators, commercial businesses, and private householders seeking images of buildings or interiors. It also photographed the work of prominent architects including John Norton, Matthew Digby Wyatt, Ernest George, Harold Peto, Arthur Blomfield, Alfred Waterhouse, and Edward Blakeway I’Anson. Bedford Lemere & Co was especially valuable as a visual recorder of modernity. Its photographs showed the adoption of electric lighting, motor cars, motion-picture technology, steel-frame construction, and reinforced concrete. Interiors were treated as important subjects in their own right, allowing the photographs to document furniture, decoration, retail environments, offices, hotels, public buildings, and domestic spaces. The firm also developed a substantial maritime practice, photographing ocean-liner interiors for companies and operators including Canadian Pacific, Cunard, Orient Line, P&O, Union-Castle Line, and White Star Line. Although London was the firm’s principal base, its activities extended beyond the capital. It maintained premises in Manchester between 1875 and 1877 and retained a strong presence in north-west England and Scotland for roughly four decades. Its regional work included commissions connected with Gillow of Lancaster, S. J. Waring & Sons of Liverpool, and the later Waring & Gillow furnishing and decorating company. During the First World War, the firm photographed Waring & Gillow munitions factories, adding industrial documentation to its architectural and commercial portfolio. The surviving Bedford Lemere archive is one of the most important records of English architecture and visual culture from the late nineteenth century through the Second World War. Historic England holds the principal Bedford Lemere Collection, including about 21,800 large-format glass negatives, approximately 3,000 prints, albums, and day books. The collection represents more than a quarter of an estimated total output of around 100,000 images. More than 24,000 images have been made available online through Historic England. Additional examples are held by the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Maritime Museum, the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, and The Courtauld Institute of Art’s Conway Photographic Library. The original Strand studio closed in 1947, after which the firm moved to 3 Park Lane, Croydon. Bedford Lemere & Co was acquired by Archie Handford Ltd in 1967. The operating firm is no longer active as an independent contemporary photography business, but its name remains significant through the preservation, digitisation, and scholarly use of its photographs.

Bedford Lemere & Co was founded in London in 1861 by Bedford Lemere, who had been born in 1839 and died in 1911. The firm developed during a period when advances in photographic equipment, glass-plate processes, printing, transport, and architectural construction made it increasingly practical to create systematic records of buildings and interiors. From 1867 to 1947, its principal studio was located at 147 Strand, London, placing the business close to the capital’s commercial and cultural networks. The company’s most important period began in the late nineteenth century. Between roughly 1870 and 1930 it was considered a leading English architectural photography firm. Rather than concentrating only on historic architecture, Bedford Lemere & Co pioneered the documentation of new buildings and modern environments. Its images recorded the appearance of recently completed structures, the arrangement of interiors, and the use of new materials and technologies. Electric lighting, motor cars, motion-picture equipment, steel frames, and reinforced concrete all appeared within the changing visual world captured by the firm. Bedford Lemere’s son Henry, known as Harry, joined the business in 1881. Born in London in 1865 and educated at the City of London School, he became the firm’s best-known photographer and its principal creative and operational figure during its peak years. His work helped establish the company’s reputation for carefully composed architectural and interior views. The firm served a broad client base: property companies and estate agents required images for records and promotion; decorators and furnishers commissioned interior views; businesses documented their premises; and private owners ordered photographs of their homes. The architectural portfolio included buildings associated with major designers such as John Norton, Matthew Digby Wyatt, Ernest George, Harold Peto, Arthur Blomfield, Alfred Waterhouse, and Edward Blakeway I’Anson. Bedford Lemere & Co also worked extensively outside London. It maintained Manchester premises from 1875 to 1877 and retained a substantial presence in north-west England and Scotland for about forty years. Regional commissions involved Gillow of Lancaster, S. J. Waring & Sons of Liverpool, and Waring & Gillow after the two furnishing and decorating businesses combined in 1897. Maritime photography became another important specialty. The firm photographed ocean-liner interiors for major shipping companies and lines, including Canadian Pacific, Cunard, Orient Line, P&O, Union-Castle Line, and White Star Line. These images documented cabins, public rooms, decoration, fittings, and the visual presentation of luxury travel. Many surviving maritime photographs are now held by the National Maritime Museum in London. The firm’s commissions also extended into industrial documentation. During the First World War it photographed Waring & Gillow’s munitions factories, providing visual evidence of industrial production and wartime manufacturing. The Royal Photographic Society awarded Bedford Lemere the Hood Medal in 1941, recognizing the firm’s contribution to photography. Harry Bedford Lemere died in 1944. After the Strand studio closed in 1947, the business moved to 3 Park Lane, Croydon. It was acquired by Archie Handford Ltd in 1967, marking the end of its independent family-firm phase. The surviving archive is now more historically important than the operating company itself. Historic England holds the main Bedford Lemere Collection, comprising approximately 21,800 large-format glass negatives, around 3,000 prints, albums, and day books. The material represents more than a quarter of the firm’s estimated output of about 100,000 images and is regarded as a major source for the study of English architecture and life from the 1870s to the Second World War. Collections are also held by the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Maritime Museum, the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, and The Courtauld Institute of Art. Digitisation has made tens of thousands of images available to researchers and the public.

• 1967

  Acquired by Archie Handford Ltd

  [1]Bedford Lemereen.wikipedia.org

  Archie Handford Ltd acquired the Bedford Lemere business.

• 1947

  Strand studio closed

  [1]Bedford Lemereen.wikipedia.org

  After eight decades at 147 Strand, the firm moved to 3 Park Lane, Croydon.

• 1941

  Hood Medal awarded

  [1]Bedford Lemereen.wikipedia.org

  Bedford Lemere received the Hood Medal from the Royal Photographic Society.

• 1897

  Waring & Gillow formed

  [1]Bedford Lemereen.wikipedia.org

  Following the combination of S. J. Waring & Sons and Gillow, Bedford Lemere continued related furnishing, decorating, and architectural photography work.

• 1881

  Henry Bedford Lemere joins the firm

  [1]Bedford Lemereen.wikipedia.org

  Bedford Lemere’s son Henry, known as Harry, joined the company and later became its leading photographer.

• 1875

  Manchester presence established

  [1]Bedford Lemereen.wikipedia.org

  The company operated premises in Manchester between 1875 and 1877 while developing broader regional activity.

• 1867

  Strand studio opened

  [1]Bedford Lemereen.wikipedia.org

  The firm began its long association with 147 Strand, London, which remained its principal studio until 1947.

• 1861

  Firm established in London

  [1]Bedford Lemereen.wikipedia.org

  Bedford Lemere founded the architectural photography business that became Bedford Lemere & Co.

A specialist architectural and commercial photography service that combined commissioned documentation with a broad visual record of buildings, interiors, transport, industry, and changing everyday life.

• Professional photography · 1861

  Architectural photography

  The firm photographed new and existing buildings for architects, property companies, estate agents, businesses, and private owners. Its views preserved façades, construction details, streetscapes, and the relationship between buildings and their surroundings, making the work an important record of Victorian and Edwardian architecture.

• Professional photography

  Interior photography

  Bedford Lemere & Co documented domestic, commercial, public, hotel, and ship interiors. The photographs recorded decoration, furniture, lighting, fittings, circulation, and displays, and served both practical promotional purposes and later historical research into design and consumption.

• Maritime photography

  Ocean-liner photography

  The firm produced commissioned images of ocean-liner interiors for major shipping companies and lines, including Canadian Pacific, Cunard, Orient Line, P&O, Union-Castle Line, and White Star Line. Many surviving examples document the design and presentation of luxury passenger travel.

• Industrial documentation

  Industrial photography

  Industrial assignments extended the firm’s architectural practice into factories and production environments. During the First World War, it photographed Waring & Gillow munitions factories, creating a record of wartime manufacturing facilities and working spaces.

• 1967

  Acquisition by Archie Handford LtdM&A

  Background

  After the firm’s post-war relocation, Bedford Lemere continued as a photography business before undergoing a change of ownership.

  Action taken

  Archie Handford Ltd acquired Bedford Lemere.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition marked the end of Bedford Lemere as an independently operated family photography firm.

  Source

• 1947

  Relocation from the Strand studioStrategy

  Background

  The firm had operated from 147 Strand, London, since 1867, but closed that studio after the Second World War.

  Action taken

  Bedford Lemere moved its operations to 3 Park Lane, Croydon.

  Aftermath

  The move ended the company’s long-established Strand presence; the business was later acquired by Archie Handford Ltd in 1967.

  Source

1. 1Bedford Lemereen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Bedford Lemere Collectionhistoricengland.org.uk
3. 3The Photography of Bedford Lemere & Coliverpooluniversitypress.co.uk