Survey of London
Encyclopedia
The Survey of London is a research project to produce a comprehensive architectural survey of the former County of London
. It was founded in 1894 by Charles Robert Ashbee
, an Arts-and-Crafts
architect and social thinker, and was motivated by a desire to record and preserve London's ancient monuments. The first volume was published in 1900, but the completion of the series remains far in the future. It was initially a volunteer effort, but later became a government sponsored project, currently organised by English Heritage
.
The Survey consists of a series of volumes based mainly on the historical parish
system. Each volume gives an account of the area, with sufficient general history to put the architecture in context, and then proceeds to describe the notable streets and individual buildings one by one. The accounts are exhaustive, reviewing all available primary sources in detail. The Survey devotes thousands of words to some buildings that receive the briefest of mentions in the Buildings of England series (itself a vast and detailed reference work by most standards). However the earlier volumes largely ignored buildings built after 1800.
Due to the scale of the existing endeavour there are no current plans to extend the project to take in the whole of Greater London
. As at 2009, 47 volumes in the main series have been published; most cover a district, but several cover only one building. Separately, 17 monographs on individual buildings have been published. Most of the volumes have not been updated since publication, but those published online have received a limited amount of updating.
With the publication of the volumes on Clerkenwell
in 2008, colour photography has been used for the first time, and the images have been incorporated in the text - previously they had been grouped separately as plates.
County of London
The County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government Act 1888. The Act created an administrative County of...
. It was founded in 1894 by Charles Robert Ashbee
Charles Robert Ashbee
Charles Robert Ashbee was an English designer and entrepreneur who was a prime mover of the Arts and Crafts movement that took its craft ethic from the works of John Ruskin and its co-operative structure from the socialism of William Morris.-Early life:He was the son of businessman and erotic...
, an Arts-and-Crafts
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
architect and social thinker, and was motivated by a desire to record and preserve London's ancient monuments. The first volume was published in 1900, but the completion of the series remains far in the future. It was initially a volunteer effort, but later became a government sponsored project, currently organised by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
.
The Survey consists of a series of volumes based mainly on the historical parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
system. Each volume gives an account of the area, with sufficient general history to put the architecture in context, and then proceeds to describe the notable streets and individual buildings one by one. The accounts are exhaustive, reviewing all available primary sources in detail. The Survey devotes thousands of words to some buildings that receive the briefest of mentions in the Buildings of England series (itself a vast and detailed reference work by most standards). However the earlier volumes largely ignored buildings built after 1800.
Due to the scale of the existing endeavour there are no current plans to extend the project to take in the whole of Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
. As at 2009, 47 volumes in the main series have been published; most cover a district, but several cover only one building. Separately, 17 monographs on individual buildings have been published. Most of the volumes have not been updated since publication, but those published online have received a limited amount of updating.
With the publication of the volumes on Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell is an area of central London in the London Borough of Islington. From 1900 to 1965 it was part of the Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury. The well after which it was named was rediscovered in 1924. The watchmaking and watch repairing trades were once of great importance...
in 2008, colour photography has been used for the first time, and the images have been incorporated in the text - previously they had been grouped separately as plates.
Volumes
- Bromley-by-Bow - C. R. Ashbee (editor) (1900)
- Chelsea, pt I - Walter H. GodfreyWalter GodfreyWalter Hindes Godfrey CBE, FSA, FRIBA , was an English architect, antiquary, and architectural and topographical historian. He was also a landscape architect and designer, and an accomplished draftsman and illustrator...
(1909) - St Giles-in-the-Fields, pt I: Lincoln's Inn Fields - W. Edward Riley and Sir Laurence Gomme (editors) (1912)
- Chelsea, pt II - Walter H. Godfrey (1913)
- St Giles-in-the-Fields, pt II - W. Edward Riley and Sir Laurence Gomme (editors) (1914)
- Hammersmith - James Bird and Philip Norman (general editors) (1915)
- Chelsea, part III: The Old Church - Walter H. Godfrey (editor) (1921)
- Shoreditch - Sir James Bird (editor) (1922)
- The parish of St Helen, Bishopsgate, part I - Minnie Reddan and Alfred W. Clapham (1924)
- St. Margaret, Westminster, part I: Queen Anne's Gate area - Montague H. Cox (editor) (1926)
- Chelsea, part IV: The Royal Hospital - Walter H. Godfrey (editor) (1927)
- The parish of All Hallows Barking, part I: The Church of All Hallows - Lilian J. Redstone (1929)
- St Margaret, Westminster, part II: Whitehall I - Montagu H. Cox and Philip Norman (editors) (1930)
- St Margaret, Westminster, part III: Whitehall II - Montague H. Cox and G. Topham ForrestG. Topham ForrestGeorge Topham Forrest, F.R.I.B.A., was a Scottish architect who became chief architect for the London County Council and was responsible for the design of many public housing estates, and also co-designed two bridges over the River Thames.-Early life and training:Forrest attended Aberdeen Grammar...
(editors) (1931) - All Hallows, Barking-by-the-Tower, pt II - G. H. Gater and Walter H. Godfrey (general editors) (1934)
- St Martin-in-the-Fields I: Charing Cross - G. H. Gater and E. P. Wheeler (editors) (1935)
- The parish of St Pancras part 1: The village of Highgate - Percy Lovell and William McB. Marcham (editors) (1936)
- St Martin-in-the-Fields II: The Strand - G. H. Gater and E. P. Wheeler (editors) (1937)
- The parish of St Pancras part 2: Old St Pancras and Kentish Town - Percy Lovell and William McB. Marcham (editors) (1938)
- St Martin-in-the-Fields, pt III: Trafalgar Square & Neighbourhood - G. H. Gater and F. R. Hiorns (editor) (1940)
- The parish of St Pancras part 3: Tottenham Court Road & neighbourhood - J. R. Howard Roberts and Walter H. Godfrey (editors) (1949)
- Bankside (the parishes of St. Saviour and Christchurch Southwark) - Sir Howard Roberts and Walter H. Godfrey (editors) (1950)
- Lambeth: South Bank and Vauxhall - Sir Howard Roberts and Walter H. Godfrey (editors) (1951)
- The parish of St Pancras part 4: King's Cross Neighbourhood - Walter H. Godfrey and W. McB. Marcham (editors) (1952)
- St George's Fields (The parishes of St. George the Martyr Southwark and St. Mary Newington) - Ida Darlington (editor) (1955)
- Lambeth: Southern area - F. H. W. Sheppard (General Editor) (1956)
- Spitalfields and Mile End New Town - F. H. W. Sheppard (General Editor) (1957)
- Brooke House, Hackney - W. A. Eden, Marie P. G. Draper, W. F. Grimes and Audrey Williams (1960)
- St James Westminster, Part 1 (Vol I) - F. H. W. Sheppard (General Editor) (1960)
- St James Westminster, Part 1 (Vol II) - F. H. W. Sheppard (General Editor) (1960)
- St James Westminster, Part 2 (Vol I) - F. H. W. Sheppard (General Editor) (1963)
- St James Westminster, Part 2 (Vol II) - F. H. W. Sheppard (General Editor) (1963)
- St Anne Soho (Vol I) - F. H. W. Sheppard (General Editor) (1966)
- St Anne Soho (Vol II) - F. H. W. Sheppard (General Editor) (1966)
- The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden - F. H. W. Sheppard (General Editor) (1970)
- Covent Garden - F. H. W. Sheppard (General Editor) (1970)
- Northern Kensington - F. H. W. Sheppard (General Editor) (1973)
- South Kensington Museums Area - F. H. W. Sheppard (General Editor) (1975)
- The Grosvenor Estate in Mayfair, Part 1 (General History) - F. H. W. Sheppard (General Editor) (1977)
- The Grosvenor Estate in Mayfair, Part 2 (The Buildings) - F. H. W. Sheppard (General Editor) (1980)
- Brompton - F. H. W. Sheppard (General Editor) (1983)
- Kensington Square to Earl's Court - Hermione Hobhouse (General Editor) (1986)
- Poplar, Blackwall and Isle of Dogs (Vol I) - Hermione Hobhouse (General Editor) (1994)
- Poplar, Blackwall and Isle of Dogs (Vol II) - Hermione Hobhouse (General Editor) (1994)
- Knightsbridge - John Greenacombe (General Editor) (2000)
- South and East Clerkenwell - Andrew Saint (General Editor) (2008) ISBN 978-030-0-13727-3
- Northern Clerkenwell and Pentonville - Andrew Saint (General Editor) (2008) ISBN 978-030-0-13937-2