Mik Critchlow (7 March 1955 – 7 March 2023) was a British social documentary and portrait photographer who made work about North East England, in particular about his home town of Ashington. [1] [2] [3] A book of this work was published in 2019 and he had a solo exhibition at Woodhorn museum in 2021/22. [2] [4] Critchlow's work is held in the collection of Amber Film & Photography Collective. [5]
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. [2]
Beginning in 1977, he worked for decades on a long-term documentary photography project about Ashington, chronicling social change, including with its coal mining. [2] [6] [7] An exhibition and book, Coal Town, depicted "the colliery and the people who worked there before and after the mine was closed." [2] He also photographed the harsh way of life of people collecting seacoal from the beach near Lynemouth power station, close to Ashington. [8]
Critchlow died on 7 March 2023, on his 68th birthday. [1] [9] [10]