Aldgate Connect BID awarded funding towards Vine Street community exhibition

‘Stories of Aldgate‘ is a spoken storytelling project, in collaboration with Heard Storytelling, aimed at capturing and celebrating the rich history and vibrant community of Aldgate. The project will involve shining a light on local stories, helping to showcase the incredible individuals who make Aldgate such an iconic corner of London.

Thanks to the support from the City of London Corporation’s Community Infrastructure Levy Neighbourhood Fund (CILNF), the ‘Stories of Aldgate’ project will be brought to life through a series of exhibition installations across the length of Aldgate’s Vine Street, stretching from Jewry Street, across America Square and down to the Crescent. Work to develop the exhibition has now begun, with the aim of the installation being live in Spring 2025.

BID Director at Aldgate Connect BID, Zoe Barwick said:  “It is fantastic to be the first BID in the City of London to be awarded CILNF funding. This exhibition will be co-curated with our community voices, and will seek to enliven the space whilst supporting the vital links between Aldgate and Tower. The implementation of this exciting exhibition is just the first step in a series of much needed improvements to the area, and we are delighted to begin this journey.”

This project comes following the BID’s launch of the Aldgate Connect Public Realm Vision & Strategy, an ambitious placemaking blueprint for the area. The document highlights Vine Street as a key Character Area for change in Aldgate, with the railway bridge in the south of the street acting as one of the seven Gateways to Aldgate, creating the vital link from Tower Hill in the South to Aldgate Square to the North.

The ‘Stories of Aldgate’ exhibition will pave the way for the implementation of long-term improvements to the area. Over the past year, the BID has worked on the development of a proposal for the long-term improvement of the Vine Street Railway Bridge, with the proposed designs focusing on ways of repurposing and reactivating the spaces within and around the archway. The aim of the project is to create a legible gateway with distinctive character and identity, celebrating the historic legacy and re-connecting the area with Aldgate, Tower of London, and the River Thames