Riot vans and picket lines: 40 years on, the miners’ strike still resonates

A new exhibition showcases some of the most memorable and shocking photography from the front line of the miners’ strike, which swept across Britain four decades ago

Pickets confront police at Bilston Glen in Midlothian, Scotland (John Sturrock/reportdigital.co.uk)

The coal mines have disappeared and entire towns have changed beyond recognition but, 40 years on, the repercussions of the miners’ strike continue to be felt throughout the country today.

The bitter industrial dispute, led by Arthur Scargill, saw trade unions pitted in often violent protests against the National Coal Board and Margaret Thatcher’s government, and triggered a chain reaction of dissent from Kent to Derbyshire and the west of Scotland.

To coincide with the 40th anniversary of the start of the miners’ strike this March, an exhibition in Bristol is looking at the vital role photographs played during the year-long struggle against pit closures.