John Rees’s photograph of Saturday morning chess players in St John’s Square

A PHOTOGRAPHY exhibition celebrating Clerkenwell opened this week with 70 shots on display.

Now in its fourth year, the Clerkenwell Community Photography Competition welcomed submissions from anyone aged 7 to 82 on the theme of “my Clerkenwell”. It is open to the public at the Bindery in Hatton Garden until September 5.

One of the photographers Tuncsel Ulku said: “Clerkenwell holds a special milestone for me. It was the starting point of our exploration of the city. The first streets we wandered were right here.”

When Mr Ulku, a professional photographer, and his wife moved to London in 2021, Clerkenwell was the first place they called home.

Tom Brandhorst took an atmospheric shot of the Shakespeare’s Head, a pub near Sadler’s Wells Theatre.

Tuncsel Ulku’s ‘Morning rush’

“Pubs tend to pander too much to certain audiences these days, but the Shakespeare’s Head has stayed true to what it is and that’s enough to keep it alive,” Mr Brandhorst said. “There are no fancy beers on tap. It’s a bog standard boozer and the atmosphere is super convivial.”

The competition was originally set up by art director Chris Walker, author and illustrator of 101 Moderately Interesting Facts About Clerkenwell, together with the Islington community charity, the Peel Institute.

“The whole idea is that it’s super inclusive, it’s deliberately weighted towards the younger group and older people,” said Mr Walker.

One of last year’s winners was two-year-old Jessica Jackson who took the winning snap on her dad’s phone.

Peel Institute CEO Paddy Radcliffe is judging the competition for the first time this year. “It’s such a joyous thing to do,” he told the Tribune. “Clerkenwell is such a vibrant diverse area – architecturally, historically, from a community point of view.

“It’s about how the community sees Clerkenwell through their own eyes.”