A significant collection of photographs taken by George Warren Swire (1883-1949) between 1907 and the 1940s. Warren Swire was a partner in his father's firm, John Swire & Sons Ltd, from 1904. Every 3 or 4 years Warren Swire travelled out to China to inspect the firm's operations, consult with local managers, and meet diplomats, officials, and business partners. Biographical details at: https://www.hpcbristol.net/collections/swire-g-warren. In 2016, Swires celebrated the group’s 200th anniversary.

Most of the 1,967 images in the G. Warren Swire Collection were digitised from celluloid negatives, in thirty-two annotated negative albums (HPC refs: Sw01 through to Sw32). Also two images from glass plate negatives (HPC ref: Sw-n) and five images from a print (HPC ref: Sw-s). The original negatives are now held in Archives & Special Collections, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.