Norwich: Appeal for images of city's streets and features

11 May 2023

News image — The City Hall in Norwich, lit up at dusk, is a prominent feature of the city centre

Getty Images City Hall in Norwich — The City Hall in Norwich, lit up at dusk, is a prominent feature of the city centre

An appeal has been launched for photographs depicting scenes capturing a city's unique history and culture.

Historic England wants to add images of Norwich, Norfolk, to its growing permanent archive collection.

Three winning photographs will join 65 others in a national touring public exhibition - Picturing High Streets.

Tamsin Silvey, of Historic England, said: "The high street is an often overlooked part of our lives and it needs our support more than ever."

Images of "favourite hang outs" and meeting places are also eligible for inclusion.

The exhibition is part of a three-year project by Historic England and Photoworks, which the body said "tells the stories behind our shopfronts".

Getty Images Norwich Royal Arcade — Norwich Royal Arcade runs from the market place towards Norwich Castle

It celebrates high street heroes, captures familiar scenes and invites audiences to consider the value and role of their local high street.

The exhibition - which will take place by the Forum in Norwich from June - is part of Historic England's £95m government-funded Heritage Action Zones scheme.

Getty Images Norwich Quayside — The Quayside in Norwich

Historic England said it was "looking for people to photograph what makes Norwich special, from high street heroes to favourite hang outs and meeting places, and the historic features and buildings that give the city its unique character."

England's high streets championed in photographs

In other parts of England, budding photographers have been uploading pictures to Instagram since September 2022, creating an unofficial archive documenting a year in the life of the English high street.

Robert Boler/Historic England Archive Diwali parade in Northampton — The Diwali parade in Northampton also features in the Historic England Archive and the national exhibition

Carrie Wainer/Historic England Archive Leighton Buzzard High Street in October 2022 — This winning image was taken in Leighton Buzzard in October 2022 and also features in the exhibition

Isabel Johnson of the Norwich Business Improvement District (BID) said: "As the city of stories, Norwich has so many tales to tell.

"This exhibition provides a vehicle for people who live and work in the city to tell those stories, for historical record. It has the potential to be both poignant and powerful."

The Picturing High Streets exhibition can be seen in Norwich from 26 June to 5 July.