Mining Art Gallery — Attraction in Bishop Auckland

A very well laid out and evocative museum.

The way the paintings are thematically organised and displayed on the three floors takes you on a (this probably sounds very cheesy) journey through time and light. The museum begins underground and then you travel upwards to life on the surface, into houses and then wider communities.

As well as paintings and drawings, and artefacts, there is a 5 minute short film and we were lucky enough to have a talk by one of the volunteers about a painting she finds very interesting.

The corridor can be a bit tight for wheelchair users, but the lift is spacious. The price (£5.00 for adults and £4.00 for concessions) is very reasonable considering the calibre of artwork and professionalism of the staff who were all happy to talk about artwork and mining.

As some of the paintings change as they move to and from different museums around the country, I'll probably return in 6 months or so when there are different pieces on display.

There are no photos from the inside as photography is forbidden, and it's probably best going when you don't quite know exactly what will be on display and what you'll hear as...

A small gallery of three permanent and one temporary exhibition space displays some beautiful and often moving work. The gallery does not allow photography and doesn’t have a catalogue available to purchase. Their postcard display was scant and did not reflect the collection. We came away with no reference material which always helps with further study. This was in sharp contrast their sister galleries, Faith and Spanish which allowed photography and offered a very comprehensive selection of catalogues and...

A very interesting gallery of an often neglected genre of British art, namely 'pitmen painters', many of whose best members were based in NE England, and who documented this vital but eventually doomed industry through their work. The "Orgreave after Guernica" painting is very impressive and evocative. Many of the attendants seem to be ex-miners and are happy to chat to and give info to visitors.

Included in the £27 Auckland all-site ticket, which I recommend buying rather than...