Picturing High Streets

Picturing High Streets was a 3-year project by Historic England and Photoworks that recorded the stories and communities behind England’s shopfronts to create a contemporary collection of high street photographs. Produced in partnership with national and regional photography organisations. 

Over three years it documented and celebrated the history, experiences and connections of the people and places that make up an often-overlooked fixture in our lives. It involved artists co-creating work with local communities, public participation through @picturinghighstreets, national and local exhibitions, and a new archive collection of 377 photographs.

This project was produced in partnership with  GRAIN Projects, Impressions Gallery, Open Eye Gallery, London College of Communication, Photofusion, QUAD/FORMAT, Redeye, ReFramed and The Photographers’ Gallery.

The programme formed part of a wider High Street Cultural Programme, the UK’s largest ever public community-led arts and heritage programme. It’s also part of a Government funded regeneration effort across more than 60 high streets known as High Streets Heritage Action Zones. 

Find out more about each area of the project by following the links below.