March 2022

March 2022
33
A portrait of our
High Street
Photographer Russell Boyce has used a vintage film camera to create
a historic visual record of Wanstead High Street’s shopkeepers,
accompanied by their thoughts on the future. In the second of a series
of reproductions, Wanstead Fish steps into the frame
I
live in Wanstead and I’m a documentary
photographer. Throughout most of
2021, I was working on a picture story
about the small business owners in
Wanstead. My inspiration for this project
are the formal pictures taken from the
Victorian and Edwardian period of
proud shopkeepers standing outside
their stores.
Over the year, I photographed more than
30 local business owners and their staff. The
project is quite simple; I used a 1966 vintage
Rolleiflex film camera to shoot black and white
pictures. I photographed all the staff outside
the shop as well as the owner or manager
inside. I then asked the owner about their
business and, crucially, what they think about
the future of our High Street.
The owners are a diverse group with a wide
range of answers – mostly very positive,
which is quite uplifting during these tough
times.
Kevin Murphy, owner of Wanstead Fish, said:
“A lot more people are shopping on the
High Street and we have reason to be more
optimistic now. At one time it was being taken
over by chains, but hopefully that has stopped
and we will keep most of the independent
shops that we’ve got. I’d like to think so
anyway. We shall see.”
The owner of Wanstead Fish Kevin Murphy
stands with staff Georgie-Belle Horwood, Grace
Miell and Paulius Cerniauskas outside his fish
mongers at 119B Wanstead High Street.
Photo taken on 10 July 2021.
An outdoor exhibition (sponsored by The
Stow Brothers) will be on show outside the
Temple in Wanstead Park until 31 March. To
view more images in the series and watch
the interviews, visit wnstd.com/phs
Please mention the Wanstead Village Directory when responding to adverts