The partnership behind Newport Heritage Action Zone has revealed its latest project helping to bring the history of Newport’s town centre to life.
Many historic photographs exist of Newport town centre, but these are often held in individual collections. With the help of local marketing agency Solent, a new web-based, user-generated heritage photography exhibition has been developed. With the help of members of local heritage social media groups, the website has started to pull together a photo history of the High Street.
The new webpage – www.newport360.co.uk – allows visitors to view a collection of photos taken from across the centre of our county town. A few historic images have been paired with how Newport looks now to see how the streets and shopfronts compare. People can also upload their own images to the site and either just post historic photographs or do side by side then and now.
Martin Gibson, Newport High Street Heritage Action Zone Project Manager said:
“There is significant interest in these historic photographs, evidenced by the level of engagement on social media groups such as the Isle of Wight Heritage Group and Newport-Bygone Days.
“As part of the High Street Heritage Action Zone programme we are aiming to bring as many of these images as possible together in an easy to access collection.”
Tim Addison, Managing Director of local marketing agency Solent adds:
“As we have our agency based in Newport it has been great to work on a project that delves into the history of the town. We hope that by showing the bustling market town that Newport once was, it will help inspire people to invest time and love into our County town. To visit it and make it a destination town rather than a ‘pop in, pop out’ place.”
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This project forms part of the Heritage Action Zone Project, funded and delivered by a partnership of Newport and Carisbrooke Community Council, Historic England and Isle of Wight Council.
A very worthwhile project and an excellent website!
Hope they can do the same with Ryde High Street as well, places like Tim’s Fish shop, Minghellas cafe as well, that was a great place, Hodges Model Shop, The Childrens Shop, which was a toy shop, I hope there are some photo’s of these places out there.