Chapeltown photo project to capture suburb's rich character

The project follows on from an exhibition to mark 40 years of the Leeds Caribbean and African Centre

A new photography project has been launched by Historic England aimed at capturing the lives of Chapeltown's African and Caribbean community.

Over the next five months, photographer Solomon Charles-Kelly will work with residents to create a portrait of the north Leeds suburb.

He said he wanted to capture the area's rich character and challenge some of the negative perceptions.

A selection of the images will be added to the Historic England Archive.

Mr Charles-Kelly said: "It means a lot to me to be able to tell the story of Chapeltown, and my community.

"I have lived here my whole life and I have seen it change drastically through increasing gentrification.

"I want to show the African and Caribbean community in Chapeltown as it is now - as rich, varied and still cohesive despite big changes to the area."

Photographer Solomon Charles-Kelly will work with residents to create a portrait of the area

Chapeltown has become synonymous with the Caribbean and African community, Historic England said, with the area perhaps best known for hosting the annual Leeds West Indian Carnival, the second largest of its kind after Notting Hill in London.

The new project follows on from an exhibition curated by the Historic England Archive, which featured images of an event at the Leeds Caribbean and African Centre in 1983 and formed part of the venue's 40th anniversary celebrations.

Charlotte Hill, archive engagement and projects manager at Historic England, said: "We realised then that there were more stories to tell and we wanted to create an opportunity for the community to capture these.

"We are really excited to see what perspectives the Chapeltown community will record through the creation of a new set of photographs."

The project will be supported by Lens Lab Project, a Leeds-based non-profit arts organisation.