Photos capture snapshot of Yorkshire’s high streets

More than 30 photographs from across Yorkshire have been included in a national project to record a snapshot of England’s high streets.

Pictures taken at Leeds Corn Exchange, Scarborough Market Hall and Bradford’s Oastler Market are among those chosen.

In total 204 photos have been included in the Historic England Archive.

Tom Frater from Historic England said: “This new national collection is a truly brilliant historic record of high streets today for generations to come.”

The Picturing High Streets project, run in collaboration with Photoworks, began in September 2022 and urged people to share their photos via Instagram under the hashtag #PicturingHighStreets.

The selected images join 173 which were taken as part of local projects with resident artists on high streets.

The call out and exhibition marks the final year of Historic England’s High Streets Cultural Programme and the £95m High Streets Heritage Action Zones Programme.

Mr Frater, Regional Director for the North East and Yorkshire at Historic England, said: “We were overwhelmed by the amazing responses from the public to our call out for photographs of high streets across Yorkshire and beyond.

“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.

Louise Fedotov-Clements, Photoworks Director, said: “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.”