Free Mines, Coal Faces, by British photographer Nick Hodgson, documents the practice of coal and iron ‘freemining’, which is unique to the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England.
The right to freemine – to work a claim or a ‘gale’ in the Forest – dates back to the thirteenth century and the reign of King Edward I. The right can be given to any person born within the local area (known as the Hundred of St Briavels) who has worked in a nearby mine for one year and a day.
Hodgson is the great-grandson of a freeminer, and his images capture both the landscape and the people who make up the current freemining community – and just a handful of small collieries still operating.
Designer Victoria Forrest, founder of VIKA Books, says that the design approach to the book saw photographs of the Forest landscape printed in colour, while the book’s central section reveals the interiors of the mines via a section of full bleed duotone images.
The red ‘glowing’ type used on the cover was inspired by a photograph of a coal fire stove in the book, while the type is based on a sign found at the entrance to one of the freemines.
Forrest says that a combination of hand-drawn illustration and repro work was required to translate the vintage four-colour scan into a one-colour graphic which was then printed on Woodstock paper the colour of iron ore. The inside back cover has an overlapping envelope that can contain a print.
Free Mines, Coal Faces was exhibited at the Dean Heritage Centre in the Forest of Dean in late 2022. The limited edition book is available now from VIKA Books.
Papers:
Symbol Freelife Matt Plus
Materica Terra Rossa
Woodstock (endpapers)