From the public archive of English Heritage, Lady Lever Art Gallery presents 43 images from London-based architectural photographers Bedford Lemere & Co.

This selection of photographs show Liverpool a century ago, replete with the certainty and confidence of that era.

Bedford Lemere, who established his company in 1861, and his son Harry were outstanding technical photographers. They and their small team produced images of exceptional quality, depth and sharpness with large glass plate negatives. They were innovative and pioneered a new photographic genre by exploiting the market for images of new buildings reflecting their high quality of construction and design.

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Above:
Bidston Court, Vyner Road South, Bidston, Wirral (1894). Built for the soap manufacturer Robert Hudson in 1891. In 1929 the house was moved several miles to Frankby and renamed Hill Bark, now a hotel.

Reproduced by permission of English Heritage.