Photo by Mel B

Miners Art Gallery

A museum and art gallery celebrating the culture, life and community of the coal mining industry in the Northeast.

Visitors can see quality artwork and get a feel of the bravery of the coalminers who risked their lives everyday.

A moving experience that is conveyed via art, proving how human creativity and good spirit can shine even in the darkest places.

The attraction is one of the many attractions in Bishop Auckland owned by the Auckland Project. Everything that you can see in the gallery ranges from the renowned Gemini collection of Mining Art all created by local artists to original artifacts and artwork. They regularly showcase different themed exhibitions including the Durham Miners’ Gala in June-December 2022.

The building was built in 1860 and was for many years a back house bank.

Why visit the art gallery?

There is so much rich history in County Durham and particularly in Bishop Auckland, thus there is so much to see and do and learn about during your visit to the local County Durham town.

The Miners Art Gallery showcases over 420 works of art all created by local artists. It’s a powerful depiction of the harsh lives of working in the coal mines. The entire visit is a real eye-opener into the contrasting livelihoods of the Durham miners.

Exhibitions

At the Miners Art Gallery, they hold different exhibitions throughout the years, including the Durham Miner’s Gala exhibition in 2022. This is a collection of miners art celebrating the annual festival held in Durham each summer since 1871. The artwork is a powerful means of embodying the spirit of the Durham’s Big Meeting and how it is significant to the people of County Durham even today.

Accessibility

The Miners Art Gallery is a ticketed venue that enabled people of all walks of life to come and witness the greatness of County Durham’s history. Below, we have highlighted the accessibility factors you need to know!

• Public transport. The venue is located just in the centre of the marketplace in Bishop Auckland. It is within walking distance from the main high street and the nearest bus stop if just over the road. The bus station is just a five-minute walk to the gallery too, and the train station is about 15 minutes on foot.
• There is a ramped entrance into the building, so wheelchairs and pushchairs can easily gain access. Inside the building there is a lift so wheelchairs can view the works of art upstairs as well. The rooms and doorways are easy to navigate around.
• There are signs and plenty of information displayed in each room so visitors can read about the paintings and navigate themselves around the museum easily.
• Toilet facilities are also available within the museum, including disabled friendly toilets.
• Disabled parking is right outside the museum just over the road behind the bus stop. The nearest parking is two pay-and-display car parks located within the town center both about five minutes’ walk to the museum. Additionally, there is also a multi-storey car park just a few minutes away at the Newgate shopping center.

If you are interested in visiting the gallery, find out more about booking tickets on their website here.

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