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The art of the miners
ROBERT McMANNERS and GILLIAN WALES tell the story of how they came to create the first dedicated Mining Art Museum in Britain
Robert Olley, Off the Way, 2000, oil on canvas; Gillian Wales and Robert McManners, founders of the Gemini Collection
[Murdo G Macleod]
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WE were both raised in mining communities — Robert in Ferryhill and Gillian three miles away in Spennymoor — at a time when south-west Durham was the epicentre of activity in the Great Northern Coalfield.
It was difficult not to be in awe of the majesty of the headgear, the timely reminder of the buzzers and the camaraderie of the colliers returning from shift. This was not simply an occupation — it was a whole way of life. It enveloped us.
It was a chance meeting between ourselves in 1996 that began our own personal journey along the pit road, culminating in the Gemini Collection. A journey to our ultimate goal: a gallery in which to display our burgeoning collection of mining art.
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