Museum to celebrate photographer’s legacy

A new gallery dedicated to celebrated documentary photographer Mik Critchlow will soon open at Woodhorn Museum, in Northumberland.

The gallery, known as the Coal Town Collection, will showcase over 100 images from Mik’s Coal Town archive, offering an intimate look at the coalfield communities of Ashington and the decline of Northumberland’s mining industry, captured across four decades.

Mik, whose father, grandfather and two brothers were miners, began to photograph the people of Ashington in 1977, achieving much acclaim for documenting everyday life in the North East.

He would amass an incredible archive of over 50,000 pictures during his 44-year photography career.

The collection, which first debuted at the museum in 2021, will also feature personal items from Mik’s family, including cameras, unseen photographs and other memorabilia, providing a deeper insight into the life and work of the photographer and, in Mik’s own words, bringing them “back home where they belong”. 

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.” 

Liz Ritson, director of programmes and engagement at Woodhorn Museum, added: “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.

“His emotive and deeply personal photographs do more than capture a moment in time; they tell a story of the people and communities he was part of in the town of Ashington.

“The new gallery celebrating his extraordinary body of work will give visitors to Woodhorn the opportunity to experience and enjoy his work.”

Shona Brown, Mik’s daughter, added: “My Dad had an effortless ability to capture people’s emotions and personalities while simply going about their daily life. 

“Quite often, when looking back on the mining era, it’s easy to automatically think of ‘the miners’ themselves, and not their families or the effects the devastating loss of the industry had on the wider community.

“The selected images were personally chosen by my Dad back in 2021, capturing community life over four decades and creating a breathtaking display. 

“This permanent home of The Coal Town Collection will ensure not only that his legacy lives on, but also the memories and subjects in the images.” 

The announcement of The Coal Town Collection today, on March 7, is particularly poignant, being the same day as Mik’s birthday and marking what would have been his 70th birthday.

The Coal Town Collection will open at Woodhorn Museum in May 2025. The date will be announced soon.

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