Shafts of Light – Mining Art in the Great Northern Coalfield
Schedule
Sat Jul 04 2026 at 02:00 pm to 03:30 pm
UTC+01:00Location
Oriental Museum | Durham, EN
About this Event
Join us for an afternoon talk by Dr. Robert McManners OBE, entitled Shafts of Light – Mining Art in the Great Northern Coalfield.
FREE of charge. Booking essential.
The talk will take place in Elvet Hill House, Room EHH009 - on the ground floor. Elvet Hill House is adjacent to the Oriental Museum.
Co-organised with Interface Arts
This talk illustrates coal-mining life through the brushwork of the miners themselves. It asks pertinent questions as to why they did this in large numbers and such an effective way, when compared with the relative paucity of experiential art from the other heavy industries.
It is illustrated by artworks from the Gemini Collection, which, assembled over 35 years by Robert McManners and research and writing partner, Gillian Wales, now forms the core of the country’s only gallery dedicated to the subject – the Mining Art Gallery in Bishop Auckland.
The talk attempts to unravel what the miners were trying to say as it takes us through the halcyon days of coal to the nadir of pit closures and the loss of a complete industry and the fragmentation of its communities.
About Robert McManners
Robert McManners is a doctor by profession and an artist by inclination. Born in Ferryhill, he spent 41 years working for the NHS. He has exhibited his own art widely and, with his writing partner Gillian Wales, he had researched and written 7 books on the subject of mining art.
Books available to purchase
Several publications will be available to purchase after the talk, priced at £10.00, payable by cash only;
Shafts of Light – Mining Art in the Great Northern Coalfield
McGuinness – The Life and Art of Tom McGuinness
The Quintessential Cornish – The Life and Work of Norman Cornish (his official biography)
Parking and Accessibility
Free parking is available at the Oriental Museum. Additional free parking for this event can be found in Teikyo University carpark - adjacent to the Oriental Museum. For directions contact the Oriental Museum on 0191 334 5691.
For further information please visit our website
Image credit: 'Off the Way' by Bob Olley, oil on board, 2000, reproduced with permission from the artist.
Image credit: Gillian Wales and Robert McManners at Mining Art Gallery, Bishop Auckland (copyright courtesy Murdo Macleod)
Where is it happening?
Oriental Museum, Elvet Hill, Durham, United KingdomEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
GBP 0.00
