Press Association opens archives for "Best of British" exhibition

A chance to see rare images spanning three centuries

5 September 2008 15:58 GMT / By Verity Burns

A new photographic exhibition will offer people the opportunity to see rarely seen images from the Press Association's archives, celebrating everything that puts the "Great" in Great Britain.

The ‘Best of British’ exhibition, opening at St Pancras International next month, presents over a century of photography especially from the PA archives with many of the images not seen since their first publication decades ago.

The exhibition, which runs between 8 – 26 September, showcases key moments and heroes from British history but often from different or quirky angles.

A total of 40 photographs have been selected from over seven million images in the Press Association’s archives. The photos span three centuries and mark the 140th anniversary of both the Press Association and St Pancras station this year.

The photos will be displayed throughout the station, so it will be completely free and accessible for anyone using the station.

"Working with the team at St Pancras International, we shortlisted an interesting selection of images dating back to 1897. The oldest image on display is a portrait of Queen Victoria at her Diamond Jubilee; the most recent is a photo of her great great great great grandson, Prince Harry! We want visitors to the station to enjoy fabulous images of historical and current events in Britain that they may have seen in their lives," said Martin Stephens, assistant managing director of PA Photos.

Other images include iconic figures such as Winston Churchill, Bobby Moore, Twiggy and the Beatles.

A series of ten books called "20th Century Britain in Pictures" accompanies the exhibition. As part of the Press Association’s anniversary celebrations, each book features over 300 photos to chronicle a decade of British life as seen through its archive.