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Ghosts in Armour

Wales' mining industry was once a force to be reckoned with, championed by nearly every trade unionist, militant student and card-carrying member of the Labour Party. Then the National Coal Board employed thousands of mineworkers at collieries in Wales. But what happened to the miners forced to abandon the industry in the mid-1980s? For some, Whitehead Steelworks in Newport provided alternative employment.

'Ghosts in Armour' features the long-serving employees of the steelworks, who return to the ruined site to share their memories of work, friendship and loss. It offers a timely insight into the importance of place and community within an industry and the vacuum that its absence can leave.

Since the recording of this film, the site has been demolished.

The documentary film 'Ghosts in Armour - Vision Up the Iron Mile' by filmmaker, Richard Crandon, formed part of an exhibition which brought together a diverse range of media - including photography, film, print-making and poetry and explored the history, loss and regeneration of Newport through the decline of the steel industry in Wales.


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From the archive

Elizabeth Andrews

Elizabeth Andrews

A dressmaker from the valleys was a voice for the colliers' wives.

Historic figures

Banner of Owain Glyndwr

Owain Glyndwr

Welsh warrior who fought the English rule in Wales.

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