Cumbrian Landscapes
John Davies
Photographic
Landscape photographs of the Lake District in North West of England, taken in 1979 and 1980, reflecting the region's natural beauty.
Amberside Collection
The AmberSide Collection is a vast body of documentary photography and film dedicated to preserving the working-class experience. Featuring over 20,000 photographs and 100 films, it captures social and industrial life in the North East of England and beyond, with contributions from both local and internationally renowned photographers and filmmakers.
Founded in 1968 by Murray Martin, the Amber Film & Photography Collective set out to create a lasting record of working-class culture. The collection includes works documenting key aspects of everyday life, social struggles, and industrial change. It also features historic projects such as The Building of the Tyne Bridge and the photography of Jimmy Forsyth.
Side’s values are rooted in a concern for working-class, marginalised, or threatened lives and landscapes, both in the UK and abroad. Housed at Side and safeguarded by the AmberSide Trust, the collection remains a vital cultural resource, ensuring that the social history of the North East and wider working-class communities is preserved for future generations.
Double Vision (1986)
Amber Films
Film and Video
A blend of documentary and drama exploring the world of boxing, centred on the gym run by George Bowes in Hartlepool.
Dream On (1991)
Amber Films
Film and Video
A feature film which grew out of Amber's work in North Shields, which blends magic, fantasy, dreams and realism in its exploration of women's lives.
Durham Coalfield
John Davies
Photographic
A survey documenting the coal mining landscape of County Durham, exploring the impact of industry on the a working coalfield.
Easington: A Mining Village
Bruce Rae
Photographic
In the build-up to the Miners' Strike of 1984, Rae was commissioned to develop this portrait of Easington Colliery in County Durham. He worked with the writer Paul Rutishauser.
Easington: August 1984
Keith Pattison
Photographic
A photographic record of Easington during the height of the 1984–85 Miners’ Strike, capturing a community under pressure with clarity, trust and lasting impact.
Eastgate Cement Works
Dave Thomas
Photographic
A photographic study of Eastgate’s Blue Circle cement plant in 1991, focusing on the people and daily work of a manual industry nearing its decline.
Eden Valley (1995)
Amber Films
Film and Video
A feature drama set in the harness racing community, exploring the tensions between urban and rural life through narrative set in a harness racing fraternity.
Edgar Lee Collection
Edgar G Lee
Photographic
A pioneering series of street photographs taken in 1890s, capturing working-class life with rare immediacy using hand-held cameras and fast exposure plates.
Edwardian Portraits
John Lawson
Photographic
This collection of Edwardian Portraits was made from a number of glass plate negatives that were found under the floorboards of a house in Whitley Bay.
Visual Culture
Slide sets of original photography & copied imagery, an extraordinary library originally developed in the 1970s & 80s for higher education: a rich and surprising celebration of C19th & C20th iconography.
Licensing & Usage Requests
Photographic exhibitions, videos, clips, trailers and each month's featured film are free. For personal use Amber's feature dramas, feature documentaries and film shorts are available as pay per view. See details of our Educational Screening Licence or contact us.