This collection is an admixture of the photographs and notes used by Dr. Quentin Hughes mainly in writing his Seaport, Architecture and Townscape in Liverpool, 1964, and the surveys etc. compiled by students of the School of Architecture as part of the Measured Drawings Programme of the architecture course.
The Measured Drawings Programme of the architecture course was undertaken by students in their second year, mainly over the period 1960-1970; the Programme has been revived as part of the 2nd & 3rd year courses from Session 1976-77 onwards.
However there are one or two examples of measured drawings made at an earlier date (e.g. Harbour-Master's house, James Street, made in 1944, and Oldham Street building made in 1946 : see pp.Houses section and Council & Misc. section). Details of how the programme was to be completed, in three parts - survey drawings, measured drawings, and written report - were given in Programme Notes which also suggested buildings which might be measured. Students generally worked in groups of two to six depending on the size and complexity of the subject.
The majority of photographs of measured drawings were taken by the Central Photographic Service of the University. The other photographs in the collection were taken by Dr. Quentin Hughes or by students of the School unless otherwise stated (e.g. in the case of commercial photographs and National Monuments Record photographs).
Univ. of Lpl. Annual Report of the Vice-Chancellor, Nov. 1905, pp. 27-28 ref. to measured drawings of architecture students becoming the University's property and ref. to buildings covered (non Merseyside buildings).