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SITE NOTES
Chatterley Whitfield Colliery // Stoke-on-Trent
“
Here, till the rust blossoms
Here, till the lamphouse blackens
Here, till time clasps our ankles
and we are pulled shaftwards
The headstocks of a disused colliery are stilled and quiet but the stories they tell continue to resonate.
Created in response to an Artists’ Tour, led by the Friends of Chatterley Whitfield and Urban Wilderness in patnership with Keele University. Former employees guided the tour and gave an emotive background to life and work within its boundaries. The site is now protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
The film draws comparisons between the stoic image of the headstocks left to stand watch, and the role of the volunteers who continue to tend the site and support the interpretation of its heritage.
The poem is read by my grandfather, a native of a mining town in North Nottinghamshire. His voice reflects the overlap in accents and dialect found between mining communities across the Midlands.
RESPONSE
Groundkeepers