This special exhibition explores the inextricable link between coal mining and the railways. Born out of the necessity to transport coal, both below and above ground, the development of the railways was powered by the mining industry. Coal fuelled iron, iron made rails, rails moved coal – the great engineering cycle at the heart of the Industrial Revolution was complete and nowhere did its heart beat more strongly than in the Great Northern Coalfield.
Uncover the story through the work of artists who witnessed this social and technological transformation, including Thomas H. Hair, and those who have been inspired by it since.