Picturing High Streets

Historic England and Photoworks invite people to look at the high street as never before, charting and celebrating the history and experiences of the people and places that make up an often-overlooked fixture in all our lives.

Over the next 12 months, people are encouraged to respond to a fortnightly challenge that uncovers the secret life of the high street, posting their own photographs on Instagram using #PicturingHighStreets. From celebrating local high street heroes that make our places so special, capturing favourite hangouts and meeting places, to recording the hidden heritage of our high streets, the most evocative photographs will be featured on the Picturing High Streets Instagram channel.

A selection of photographs submitted before 21 December 2022 will form a national outdoor exhibition opening in Spring 2023 filling Clear Channel outdoor advertising spaces, outdoor exhibition panels and shop windows on high streets across England. These photographs – alongside a selection of others submitted from January 2023 onwards – will also enter the Historic England Archive, the nation’s archive for England’s historic buildings, archaeology and social history.

Designer and retail expert Wayne Hemingway will join the renowned artist Camille Walala, best known for her large-scale murals that transform public spaces, as judges to help choose the winning images to go into the national touring exhibition. Ben Hope, Marketing Director at Clear Channel and Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England will also take part in the judging.

Follow @PicturingHighStreets on Instagram and post your pictures using #PicturingHighStreets.

The national outdoor exhibition will open Spring 2023.