A lodging house in Drury Lane c.1877

A lodging house and dining room in Drury Lane frequented by released prisoners. The premises were run by a former policeman, Mr. Bayliss, seen on the left of the photograph, who provided temporary accommodation and cheap meals for former convicts sent to him by the Royal Society for the Aid of Discharged prisoners. The old man talking to Mr Bayliss is Ramo Sammy, an Indian drummer well-known to Londoners as the' tam-tam man', who lived opposite the dining room and often had his meals there. No convicts are included in the photograph for fear that publication of their portraits might interfere with their chances of getting employment.