The rows of company housing stretching eastwards from the railway helped establish Ashington's reputation as the world’s largest mining village. Its collieries were amongst around 200 pits across the Northumberland and Durham coalfields, and by the end of World War II, there were 148,000 men employed in the region’s mines. However, by the 1970s the Ashington colliery had a quarter of its old workforce, with 350 people working there in 1988.
The exhibition shows how, prior to the beginning of the Miners’ Strike in 1984, Ashington already suffered from widespread deprivation and poverty.
The exhibition shows how, prior to the beginning of the Miners’ Strike in 1984, Ashington already suffered from widespread deprivation and poverty. Work in the pit was therefore one of the only viable sources of income and financial stability for families in Ashington. Yet, this work came with great risk.
Conditions down the pit were incredibly tough, dangerous and deeply unhygienic, with mining taking a significant toll on workers' health. Respiratory illnesses, lung conditions and hearing loss were common, caused by air pollution, the tools used and the sheer noise of heavy machinery. Despite these risks, many miners took pride in their work and in the way it allowed them to support their families and contribute to the community.
Many of the photos in the exhibition were taken around the time of the strike and the closure of the pits...
Many of the photos in the exhibition were taken around the time of the strike and the closure of the pits, offering an authentic documentation of daily life in Ashington and capturing the impact these events had on the local community.
These problems of unemployment and the loss of community and identity, which came with the shift from mining to lower-skilled, lower-paid jobs with fewer benefits and less secure employment, can also be seen in the exhibition. Ashington, along with many other mining towns across the North East, was left behind by the decline of industry and the wider restructuring of the economy. These challenges persist today, with a 2024 report published by Sheffield Hallam University's Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research finding that many coalfield communities, including Ashington, still faced a shortage of quality jobs after the end of the strike.
Critchlow described the process of making photographs as an “act of remembrance”.
Critchlow described the process of making photographs as an “act of remembrance”. This photography exhibition uses art to show the importance of connection and community in Ashington, documenting the region’s history in a deeply personal way that shows the human side of mining and the pit closures. It presents a community that sought connection, security and a future for themselves and later generations. This remembrance of Ashington's communal history is truly thought-provoking and moving.