Place name
Named after the former Britannia Works, a factory established at Roden Street in 1879 by Alfred Hugh Harman initially to make photographic dry plates. The business began life as Alfred Harman and Company in Peckham in 1864, though Harman is known to have been advertising his photographic printing service before that. Harman moved to Ilford in 1879 and began operating out of the basement of his house in Cranbrook Road, making Gelatine Dry Plates, before moving to Roden Street in 1880, trading as the Britannia Works Company. A factory was built three years later. The company changed its name to Ilford Ltd sometime around 1900 – despite objections from the local council. The street itself was laid out in the early 20thCentury on land formerly part of the Uphall and Clement’s Estate brick earth pits. Today Ilford Photo is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of photographic materials known for its black-and-white film and papers and chemicals.
