The Media Archive for Central England is the public screen archive for the East and West Midlands. An independent charity and company based at the University of Lincoln, MACE acquires, catalogues, preserves and makes widely available moving image materials that inform our understanding of the diverse cultures and histories of communities between the Lincolnshire coast and the Welsh border.
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Doe Lea
Life in Doe Lea village in Derbyshire is so entwined with its colliery that if the pit closes the village is likely to die too.
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Overview
This look at Doe Lea using the conventions of cinema verite was made by a group of young people from Stainsby Arts Centre. There's a feeling of nostalgia amongst the unseen older interviewees who talk freely about a decline in community spirit and a sense of cynicism from the teenagers reluctant to sign up for a working life down the pit. A gloomy picture made more real by the statement that there will be no economic reason for the community when the pit finally ceases production.
Glapwell and Bramley Vale collieries closed in 1974 with Doe Lea colliery surviving under private ownership until the 1990s.
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