New gallery chronicling Ashington over four decades set to open at Woodhorn Museum

The Coal Town Collection showcases more than 100 photographs from Critchlow’s Coal Town archive, which first went on display at Woodhorn Museum in November 2021.

Chronicling the town and people of Ashington over four decades, ‘Coal Town’ provides a rare glimpse inside the town’s coalfield communities, and captures periods of major social, economic and political change in Northumberland.

Critchlow, who died in 2023 at the age of 68, personally selected each photograph from his archive for the original exhibition.

The Coal Town Collection also features personal items on loan from Critchlow’s family, including cameras he collected and used during his career, unseen photographs, and other personal ephemera that provide an insight into the man behind the camera.

Maureen Critchlow, Mik’s wife, said: “Mik saw the Coal Town exhibition as the culmination of his life’s work within the area. Even though he’d worked on many projects further afield, it was this one, spanning a period of over 40 years, that was most special to him. He had a deep understanding and empathy for the people who lived and worked in his home town."

Liz Ritson, programme and engagement manager at Woodhorn Museum, said: “With a career spanning almost 45 years, Mik’s work is one of the most important historical archives we have of the end of deep coal mining in Northumberland. It also captures the short and long-term impact of the industry’s closure on coalfield communities.”