In 1875 the probable destruction of the Oxford Arms, Warwick Lane, an old coaching inn in the City of London with a galleried first floor with chambers and carved fireplaces, prompted an interest in photographing the inn before its destruction. By the time of the photographs it was considerably beyond its heyday and being used as a carriers’ business and many rooms were let.

Six photographs of the Oxford Arms were produced and distributed to subscribers. Such was the success that the resulting society, the Society for Photographing Relics of Old London (SPROL), continued its work and recorded many buildings considered at threat of demolition during the following 12 years, producing 120 photographs. Some of the buildings photographed remain but many were demolished (the Oxford Arms in 1877) and the society was an early organisation instrumental in raising awareness of the changes to the London cityscape.