Miners Strike 1984 mass picket confronting police lines, Bilston Glen. Norman Strike at the front of a mass picket, Scotland. © John Sturrock/Reportdigital.co.uk

ONE YEAR! Photographs from the Miners' strike 1984-85

Exhibition runs 20 September-19 October 2024
Opening Times: 
Wednesday - Saturday 11am - 6pm. FREE ADMISSION

How to Get Here 

To coincide with the 40th anniversary of the miners’ strike, we are touring this exhibition originally shown at the Martin Parr Foundation in January.

EXHIBITION EVENTS

Thurs 17 October -  FILM SCREENING - STRIKE: AN UNCIVL WAR  We are delighted to host this free event with BLOC Cinema. This searing new documentary from award-winning filmmaker Daniel Gordon tells the story of the Battle of Orgreave Book here

Thurs 10 October - TALK Coal Not Dole: Lessons from the Miners' Strike with Keith Gildhart and Lisa Mckenzie Book here

Thurs 3 October - TALK Photographing the Miners' Strike 1984-85 with Brenda Prince, Roger Tiley and Isaac Blease Book here

The miners’ strike was one of Britain’s longest and most bitter disputes, the repercussions of which continue to be felt throughout the country today. This exhibition looks at the vital role photographs played during the year-long struggle against pit closures, including many materials drawn from the Martin Parr collection.

The industrial action, which began in Yorkshire, was led by the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and its President, Arthur Scargill, against the National Coal Board (NCB). The Conservative government under Margaret Thatcher opposed the strikes and aimed to reduce the power of the trade unions.

Ephemera relating to the strike – including posters, vinyl records, plates, badges and publications – are placed in dialogue with work by photographers who documented the events in 1984-85. Collectively, the materials demonstrate the power and the contradictions inherent in using photography as a tool of resistance.

The exhibition includes photographs by Brenda Prince, John Sturrock, John Harris, Jenny Matthews, Roger Tiley, Imogen Young and Chris Killip, and images by Philip Winnard who was himself a striking miner. These works will be displayed alongside archival press prints also from the Martin Parr Foundation collection and vernacular images taken by Swansea police on a trip to a picket line in Derbyshire, on loan from the National Museum Wales.

The exhibition also launches a new book, ONE YEAR! Photographs from the Miners' strike 1984-85, published by Bluecoat Press. 

PRESS RELEASE

PRESS 
The Sunday Times 
British Photo History 
Society for the Study of Labour History

Art Blart