Revealing and then photographing the faces and spaces behind the front doors of shops and traders in and around Barnet High Street became the 2023 project for local resident and photographer Simon Hollins.

An exhibition of his work – “Traces of Faces and Places” – fills a wall in the Barnet Museum shop in The Spires Shopping Centre.

In opening the display, the Mayor of Barnet, Councillor Nagus Narenthira, congratulated Mr Hollins on capturing the diversity of High Barnet with its great variety of shops, their staff, and customers.

“High Barnet is a very special place within our London Borough, rich in history. There is nothing like it on the other side of the borough.

“Documenting public life in this way adds to the historical record of High Barnet and is a great addition to the collections at Barnet Museum which is so important for the town.”  

Mr Hollins thanked the mayor and museum for their support and especially the shopkeepers and traders without whose help and co-operation he would not have been able to record his snapshot of life in Barnet High Street in 2023.

He thought some of his most compelling images were those he had taken inside Dory’s Cafe, a family institution since the 1950s, and Wanders shoe shop where Peter Wanders had been running his wholesale and retail business for nearly 40 years.

“What I learned during the year was that once you get inside a shop or business premises, you can find amazing people and equally amazing places.

“It is so important to have a record of these businesses and enterprises which is why I am so pleased Barnet Museum gave me a chance to put on this exhibition.

“I am a lifelong Barnet resident who treasures our community. Our High Street is changing faster than ever, with new shops and businesses sitting alongside those established for many years.”

John Hall, chairman of the museum, welcomed the mayor, and her consort and husband Ken Narenthira.