Picturing High Streets Collection
A national collection of 377 images that tell the stories behind the shopfronts on the English high street.
Three winning images of Walsall high street were chosen and displayed in Gallery Square outside The New Art Gallery Walsall from 2 September to 1 October 2023. The pictures, taken by members of the public of contemporary Walsall high street life, were selected from over 400 entries to GRAIN Projects’ and Historic England’s Picturing Walsall competition.
Photographs by 3 winners and 7 runners-up have entered the Historic England Archive, the nation’s archive for England’s historic buildings, archaeology and social history, as part of the new Picturing High Streets national photography collection.
The photographs were judged by a panel including:
The selected photographs reflect the unique character of Walsall and celebrate the people who make its high street so special, from market traders to shoppers.
Take a look at the winning Picturing Walsall images below:
A wonderful portrait. His smile is infectious!
Anu Gamanagari’s beautifully composed shot captures the intimacy and speed of this busy barbershop in Walsall. This photograph is both a portrait of the barbers and their clients and of a business that continues to thrive on the high street. You can’t get your hair cut online!
This humorous photograph brings a smile to my face and captures a nostalgic moment on Walsall High Street. The text on the newsstand 'Local News for Local People' is a reflection of what a high street can and should be.
Please click on the gallery images to enlarge.
A national collection of 377 images that tell the stories behind the shopfronts on the English high street.
A national collection of photographs documenting England’s high streets, taken by artists and members of the public in the early 2020s.
How the Picturing High Streets 3-year project involved the public in creating a contemporary record of England’s high streets.
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