‘I am London’ was an exhibition curated in 2016 by Historic England. The description of the exhibition, as published in the accompanying guide, states that: “London’s historic buildings and places are as much a part of the city’s DNA as the people who live and work in it.
I am London is a celebration of the capital’s unique and complex identity; as much about its scientific endeavour, cutting edge art, performance and design, politics and campaigning, as its pubs, Pearly Kings and parks. It’s a snapshot of London in microcosm, told through its people and places.
60 Londoners, each with a different story to tell, have been photographed at a historic building or place that’s special to them. Each person’s unique London story is bound up in the place they have chosen, showing the city’s heritage is inspirational, provocative, frustrating, fun, familiar, humbling and home.
We want Londoners to be alive to their heritage, to ensure that, as London grows and changes, it keeps its essential character. From Soho to Brixton, from city to suburbs, London’s great old places keep on embracing generation after generation of Londoners — in turn, they light up our city with new ideas and fresh thinking. If we lose London’s fabric and character, we will lose something very precious.”
This image shows Caroline Criado-Perez, described in the exhibition guide as “Freelance Journalist and Writer, Parliament Square, Westminster”
Each Londoner was asked to provide answers to four questions. These are the answers provided by Caroline Criado-Perez: Question: “Where do you go to show people the real London?” Answer: “I’d take someone to Hampstead Heath to show them the real London. It’s where I walk my dog every day. We are so lucky to have these parks, where you can walk for 10 minutes and completely forget you’re in the middle of a city. Being a Londoner I want to escape from London quite a lot.” Question: “If you sent a postcard from London, what view would you choose?” Answer: “I would choose the view from the top of Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath as my postcard. You can see so much of London: the old and the new set next to each other.” Question: “If there was another Great Fire of London, what historic building or place would you save?” Answer: “I would save the historic parts of the City of London from another Great Fire. And I really like the dark, seedy underbelly part of London. That’s not really something you have in modern London so you need to go to old London to experience that. Save the dark, seedy underbelly.” Question: “What do you owe London?” Answer: “I owe London my ability to walk around a city. If I weren’t a Londoner I don’t think I’d just walk when I went to new cities, instead of using public transport.”
This is part of the Job: 2K/27179 'I Am London' Exhibition - Caroline Criado-Perez, Writer, Speaker And Campaigner; within the Volume: VF000591 'I Am London' Exhibition; within the Series: HEC01/139 'I Am London' Exhibition; within the Collection: HEC01 Historic England
© Historic England Archive
Photographer: Redgrave, Christopher: Historic England
Public Square, Statue, People Posed