A photo of Prebend Street in Bedford has been selected to join the Historic England Archive, the nation’s archive for England’s historic buildings.
Since September 2022, people across England have been responding to an online national call out to submit their photographs of the high street on Instagram under the hashtag #PicturingHighStreets.
The photo of the ‘ghost sign’ at the junction of Prebend Street and Midland Road, taken by Nicola Bailey, and has joined 203 other winning photographs to be entered into the Historic England Archive.
The winning Picturing High Streets shots have been added alongside 173 new images taken as part of local projects with resident artists on high streets.
As well as the photo of Bedford, characterful images of other areas in the east of England including Southend-on-Sea, Great Yarmouth, Bungay, Leighton Buzzard, Cromer and Sheringham have been added to the Historic England Archive.
Picturing High Streets has been a partnership between Historic England and Photoworks, helping to build a contemporary picture of England’s high streets through mass public participation and community engagement.
“It has revealed how important the high street can be as a space for people to come together and connect.
The Picturing High Streets call out and exhibition marks the final year of Historic England’s High Streets Cultural Programme and the £95 million High Streets Heritage Action Zones Programme which has been revitalising more than 60 high streets across England.
In Bedford, the funding has seen shopfronts restored to their former glory, as well as arts and community engagement projects.
Duncan Wilson, Historic England Chief Executive, said: “We were overwhelmed by the amazing responses from the public and artists to our call out for photographs of high streets across England.
“Through contemporary photography, people have captured what makes high streets such special places for social connection, revealed the histories hidden behind shopfronts and celebrated the communities that are keeping them alive today.
“This new national collection is a truly brilliant historic record of high streets today for generations to come.”
Louise Fedotov-Clements, Photoworks Director, said: “This incredible and ground-breaking national programme has produced a truly unique and important photographic representation of the high street.
“The works highlight a diversity of views featuring the places, people, histories and activities that help us to understand our dynamic relationship to, and the importance of, the high street today.
“Created in collaboration with Historic England, alongside England’s leading photography organisations, we have worked together with artists, communities and the public through socially engaged residencies and mass participation.
“We are very proud of the range, depth and historical significance of the images that have been created and that will now enter the Historic England Archive.”
The Picturing High Streets commission was produced in partnership with GRAIN Projects, Impressions Gallery, Open Eye Gallery, London College of Communication (University of the Arts London), Photofusion, QUAD/FORMAT, Redeye, ReFramed and The Photographers’ Gallery.
