Update: the Culture Mile website is no longer online, following approval of the Business Improvement District. However you can still find the Explore page through the Internet Archive.
Visitors to the City’s north west cultural district now have a guide to venues, heritage sites, entertainment and shopping on the Culture Mile website.
The guide is a demonstration of one of the projects planned if the area becomes a Business Improvement District.
Each of the guide records has a short entry with a “Learn more” link to the relevant website. There’s no detailed location map, but reference to the main neighbourhoods.
The Explore page also features some events, news items and links to onecity.london and the In the City app.
Businesses in the area are due to vote in January on whether to pay a levy to establish the BID.
BID strategy
As I wrote here, there’s now an official BID website with a download of the strategy. One of the four strategic themes is Cultural Destination:
“The BID will work within the City of London Corporation’s Destination City approach and with the area’s world-class cultural institutions to promote Culture Mile as a major UK destination for culture and leisure. It will support the area’s visitor base to increase and become more diverse by bringing great arts experiences to more people – so enriching people’s perceptions of the area, boosting the local economy and helping retail and hospitality businesses to thrive”.
The City already has four BIDs, which like Aldgate Connect offer guides to their neighbourhoods.
In July the City’s Culture, Heritage and Libraries committee received a report outlining how the second phase of Culture Mile, from March 2023, will work with the BID if the ballot is successful. Staff are developing demonstration projects to show what’s possible.
Short films
In addition to the demonstration guide, head of marketing Jamie Reece tells me that the Culture Mile Business Partnership has commissioned three new short films that “collectively highlight hidden stories and showcase unique spaces within the Culture Mile footprint: prompting discovery and helping workers and visitors alike to get the most out of the City”.
The films, from creative agency The Smalls, focus three different themes: ‘Personal Connections’, ‘Food & Drinks’, and ‘Ancient & Modern’.
Round the Corner by Steph Beeston is a short documentary that weaves together the stories of three small business owners and the connection they have to the area around them. Youtube link
Oasis of the City by Will Webb is a creative short that documents the many users of Postman’s Park from a range of backgrounds and experiences throughout a day. Youtube link
Pubs of Smithfield by Luke Marsh is an animated short exploring the history and heritage behind the traders at Smithfield Market and the pubs and culture that surround them. Youtube link