Toynbee Hall hosts “The Story of England in 50 Objects” on Community Projector

This Spring, Toynbee Hall is working with A Very English Chat to present “The Story of England in 50 Objects” on our Community Projector in Mallon Gardens.

The project brings together a collection of 50 objects that have been chosen and co-created by people across England as part of a wider public campaign exploring national identity and belonging. Members of the public were invited to select five objects that reflect what “Englishness” means to them today – whether cultural references, everyday items, or things with personal significance. These contributions were combined into a shared “pocket museum” that reflects a range of perspectives rather than a single definition.

At Toynbee Hall, these 50 objects are being shown as a large-scale projection in public space. The Community Projector, located in Mallon Gardens and projected onto the building opposite Toynbee Hall, displays visual work outdoors for anyone passing through the area. For this installation, images from the “pocket museum” are presented as a rotating series of projections, bringing the collection into everyday public view.

Together, the images prompt people to reflect and offer different ways of thinking about national identity – some familiar, some unexpected – drawn from contributions across the country.

About the wider project

A Very English Chat is a campaign that promotes respectful conversations about national identity, supported by a range of free, practical resources designed to make these discussions more accessible. Rather than asking people to define Englishness in abstract terms for “The Story of England” pocket museum, it begins with objects – things that carry personal, cultural, or emotional meaning.

Alongside The Story of England in 50 Objects pocket museum, the wider campaign includes conversation prompts and workshop materials that support discussion and the sharing of different perspectives. The collection continues to grow as more people contribute their five objects.

Why we’re hosting it

The Community Projector is used by Toynbee Hall to bring creative and community-led work into public space – often projects that reflect local life and wider social questions.

This collaboration continues that approach. By placing the work outdoors in a shared environment, the installation creates opportunities for people to encounter it in passing, pause, and reflect, or talk about it with others.

It also connects to ongoing conversations about identity and belonging, and how those ideas are experienced in everyday life.

“We’re really happy to be working with A Very English Chat.” said Elizabeth Stevenson, Head of Fundraising & Communications at Toynbee Hall. “The project brings together lots of different voices through the objects people have chosen to share. It’s a simple, honest way of exploring what Englishness can mean today, not as one fixed idea, but something shaped by our experiences, memories and the things that matter to us.

At Toynbee Hall, we meet people from all kinds of backgrounds every day through our advice services, community work and research. In those everyday moments, you see how identity and ideas of belonging are constantly evolving, shaped by both our differences and what we have in common.

“Showing this on our Community Projector opens that conversation up to everyone so people passing by can stop, take a look, and maybe recognise something of their own story in it.”

Visit the installation

The Story of England in 50 Objects projection will be visible throughout until 6th May 2026 in Mallon Gardens, at Toynbee Hall.

Visitors are welcome to stop by, spend time with the installation, and reflect on their own response to the question at the heart of the project: what does Englishness mean to you today?

To find out more about the campaign, download resources or get involved, visit A Very English Chat here.