Mik Critchlow


Mik Critchlow was a British social documentary and portrait photographer who made work about North East England, in particular about his home town of Ashington. A book of this work was published in 2019 and he had a solo exhibition at Woodhorn museum in 2021/22. Critchlow's work is held in the collection of Amber Film & Photography Collective.

Life and work

Critchlow was born and lived in Ashington, Northumberland. His grandfather worked as a coal miner there for 52 years and Critchlow's father was a coal miner. He left school aged 15.
Beginning in 1977, he worked for decades on a long-term documentary photography project about Ashington, chronicling social change, including with its coal mining. An exhibition and book, Coal Town, depicted "the colliery and the people who worked there before and after the mine was closed." He also photographed the harsh way of life of people collecting seacoal from the beach near Lynemouth power station, close to Ashington.

Death

Critchlow died on 7 March 2023, on his 68th birthday.

Publications