Picturing High Streets was a three-year project delivered by Photoworks to create a contemporary picture of England’s high streets through artist residencies and a public call out. It was part of the High Streets Heritage Action Zones Cultural Programme, and produced in partnership with GRAIN Projects, Impressions Gallery, Open Eye Gallery, London College of Communications, Photofusion, QUAD/FORMAT, Redeye, ReFramed and The Photographers’ Gallery.
From September 2022 to September 2023, people across England responded to themed fortnightly challenges and submitted their photographs on Instagram under the hashtag #PicturingHighStreets. All entries created an unofficial archive documenting a year in the life of the English high street on Instagram, and a selection form this permanent collection in the Historic England Archive.
The photographs in this set were selected to represent the theme 'Ghost Signs'.
To mark Halloween in 2023, Historic England and Photoworks asked the public to submit their photographs of Ghosts Signs as part of Picturing High Streets. Ghost signs are old, often hand-painted advertising or shop signs, still preserved on historic buildings in urban areas such as our local high streets. A selection of photographs showing a range of ghost signs across the country were chosen to enter the Picturing High Streets collection.
The photographer wrote the following text to explain how their image relates to this theme: "The picture shows a ghost image relating to a former function of the building, now converted to residential use."
This is part of the Volume: HEC01/128/02/30 Picturing High Streets: Mass Participation Project - Ghost Signs; within the Sub Series: HEC01/128/02 Picturing High Streets: Mass Participation Project; within the Series: HEC01/128 Picturing High Streets; within the Collection: HEC01 Historic England
© Ian Pennell
Photographer: Pennell, Ian
Sign, Cafe, Street Scene
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