Photography portrait exhibition celebrates characters of Buxton high street

Our Street features newly commissioned portrait photography of familiar local characters and will be on show for free at the Pump Room from Thursday to Saturday, April 7-9, 4.30-7pm.

From shopkeepers to stylists, and from the town crier to the High Sheriff Of Derbyshire, all have been photographed over the last three months by professional portrait artists based in Derbyshire and Cheshire.

Curator Ashley Bird said: “It’s been great scouring the area for the best photographers to create this exhibition – each has their own style, and each has captured something unique about the people and businesses they have photographed.

“The results range from simply beautiful to slightly odd – in a very Buxton way – and some are quite surprising.”

The photographers whose work will be exhibited are Arlen Connelly, Sarah Louise Pickering, David John King, Chelsea Shoesmith, Mo El-Fatih, Chris Seddon, Holly Booth and Peter Salter, Tess Viera, Ben Pollard and Ashley Bird himself.

The exhibition is part of a wider project facilitated by Buxton Cultural Consortium and funded by Historic England as part of the High Street – Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) scheme.

Buxton was selected as one of more than 60 towns across the country to receive a share of the £95million Government funding pot, securing a grant of £926,700.

The HAZ programme makes funding available for improvements to shops and businesses within its designated areas. In Buxton, the zone covers much of Spring Gardens and some of the surrounding streets.

Between 2020 and 2024, each successful HAZ applicant is expected to lead cultural and educational programmes to celebrate the heritage of our high street.

Events and activities like the Our Street exhibition are intended to draw the community together in and around Spring Gardens to connect, enjoy, participate, meet up with friends and family and have fun on the high street.

After the event, a new Instagram page @ourstreetbuxton will feature the photographs as well as information on plans for future Our Street events.

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