Place name
Industrial heritage. Alfred Hugh Harman (1841 – May 23, 1913) was a pioneer in photography from Peckham who founded Ilford Photo, a photographic film and chemicals manufacturer, in 1879. It was one of a number of new industries to move into the area during a period of expansion following the introduction of a railway station on the line from Romford to Mile End in the 19thCentury. The company was initially called The Britannia Works but renamed Ilford Limited in 1900 despite objections from the Urban District Council which argued that being the area’s largest employer did not give the company the right to assume the town’s name. Ilford Photo soon outgrew its premises on Cranbrook Road, and moved to a new base on Roden Street where it stayed until closing in 1976. This was part of a very late development over allotment gardens.
