Reading’s High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ)
Three initiatives. Four years. Ten successful projects. Reading’s HSHAZ programmes may have come to an end in 2024, but as we look back, it’s clear the impact within the community will be felt for many years to come.
In 2020, Reading secured High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ) status. It joined 68 places in England that benefitted from a £95 million government fund. Over four years, the town received up to £700k, matched by the council, for community, cultural, and conservation projects within the Oxford Road, Castle Street, St Mary’s Butts, and Market Place areas.
The project included:
- community engagement – focused on building relationships with local communities and giving them a key role in decision-making
- cultural programme – celebrating the history of the high street through activities and events
- physical interventions – this included conservation and repair work on buildings, reinstating lost features and improving shared spaces
Community engagement
Community engagement was key to shaping the HSHAZ programme. It involved residents, workers, and others connected to HSHAZ areas in decisions about the high street’s future. People could take part by sharing ideas, joining workshops, art activities, heritage events, or volunteering through our partner, The Museum Partnership Reading, via the Better Impact platform.
The programme created self-guided audio trails, community interviews and free workshops showcasing outreach along Oxford Road. Reside Dance C.I.C also teamed up with No. 5 Young People to run dance workshops, giving young people a new way to connect with and explore Oxford Road’s history and heritage.
Audio trails
Working with Sound UK, we crafted two self-guided audio trails for the programme:
Produced by Sound UK with Readipop and Berserk Productions, commissioned by Reading Borough Council, and funded by Historic England for the HSHAZ project.
Lifespring stories
Baker Street Productions worked with the Human Geography Department of Reading University to present Lifespring Stories. Displayed alongside an exhibition of portraits and accessible via QR codes, the stories formed a collection of audio interviews with community members along Oxford Road sharing their experiences with Lifespring Church’s community outreach.
Retail and marketing workshops
We carried out free workshops for business owners in Reading’s HSHAZ’s to help improve their offerings and marketing. These were delivered by high street expert Graham Soult of Canny Insights. The workshop covered topics around maximising kerb appeal, claiming a Google My Business listing and online marketing basics.
As the HSHAZ project finished, the impact of the programmes remains in the engagement of residents celebrating Reading’s diverse history and heritage.
Cultural programme – an overview of projects
Pilot cultural project
Reading was successful in achieving a grant to run a pilot project for the HSHAZ. This pilot project titled ‘Re-imagining the high street through your stories’ was based in Reading’s Oxford Road HSHAZ. The project engaged with communities to explore people’s real stories of Oxford Road, linking them with their local heritage and rich multicultural history.
Oxford Road stories
HSHAZ Reading worked with the University of Reading to collect residents’ stories and memories, and used them as inspiration for three new art projects along the Oxford Road.
Three local artists; Baker Street Productions, Gemma Anusa and Caroline Streatfield were commissioned to create new art pieces for the Oxford Road inspired by these stories. These art pieces celebrated the history, heritage and vibrancy of culture of Reading’s Oxford Road.
Hidden recipes from the ancestral home
In her project ‘Hidden Recipes From My Ancestral Home’, local artist Caroline Streatfield encouraged communities to shop local and explore the food shops along Reading’s Oxford Road. Caroline produced a set of 17 recipe cards showcasing family recipes, stories and memories as well as illustrations created by local school children and artists.
Look Hear, Oxford Road
Baker Street Productions brought Look Hear, Oxford Road to life; a multi-sensory, 3D walking tour. Featuring 12 different audio bites accessible via QR codes, engaging narratives helped listeners to explore the history of the buildings and people along the Oxford Road.
Through your eyes
Gemma Anusa, a local artist and Oxford Road resident, created two paintings that were enlarged and installed along the Oxford Road by Battle Street car park. Gemma’s paintings feature two faces depicted with a black to white gradient skin tone alongside quotes to represent the multicultural community of the Oxford Road.
Physical interventions and public realm improvements
This part of the Reading HSHAZ project focused on understanding historic buildings, and investing to restore the local character that make these places unique.
The project strengthened local pride, making the High Street Heritage Action Zone more attractive to residents, businesses, tourists, and investors. The goal was to create a vibrant, connected and enhanced historic hub to boost the economic activity and employment opportunities.
Building condition surveys were conducted, leading to works on shopfronts and external facades, while physical improvements extended to the cleaning of historic monuments and lamppost installations for safety.
Last updated on 13/01/2025
Reading’s High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ)