Northern Gothic: Chesterfield

Written By Jane Croft

Northern Gothic: the melancholy of the past tempered by the beauty and resilience of the present.

(J. C. O’Neill, author.)

To me, for something to be ‘Gothic,’ it requires the presence of three essential components:  

1.     An awe-inducing structure or element.

2.    An oppressive force.

3.    The intrusion of the Past upon the Present. (6) 

I recently visited Chesterfield in Derbyshire in order to review a newly opened bookshop specialising in Fantasy, and as part of my continuing mission to find the best scone in the North of England. In researching Chesterfield, I was struck by the ongoing devastating effects that the Miners’ Strike of 1984-5 had wrought upon the area. (2) As someone who was born in the North, the physical, political and spiritual battle between the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher, and the Miners’ Unions remains a significant part of my formative years, and continues to echo daily in my life in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. (5)  

I came to realise that Chesterfield itself is indeed Gothic. By this, I do not mean the famous twisted spire, the medieval market or the tiny, narrow Shambles area. I refer to the hidden spine and jutting ribs of coal that still lie silent beneath the Derbyshire soil; ink-black lines of compressed carbon that once gave life and work and meaning to so many. (4) This vast, ancient geology is the awe-inducing element.  

The oppressive force is the formidable Margaret Thatcher, who came into power as prime minister of the United Kingdom in 1979, determined not just to control, but utterly subdue the power of Britain’s Trade Unions. Thatcher was an ardent neo-liberal, convinced that free trade, privatisation and consumer choice would lead to greater wealth and well-being for the nation. (1) She believed organisations that promoted the improvement of conditions and wages for working people were ‘the enemy within’. (7) And so, in 1984, a year-long struggle of epic proportions commenced; a war between two forces diametrically opposed in politics, but precisely aligned in passion for their cause, conviction of their beliefs, and implacable hatred for the other.  

Thatcher won.  

Within ten years, the number of people employed in the UK mining industry plummeted from approximately 220,000 to a mere 7,000. (2) So, what of the third element required for inclusion in ‘the Gothic’: the intrusion of the past upon the present? Sheffield Hallam University has undertaken extensive research into the ongoing negative effects caused by the dismantling of the British Coal Industry. They have concluded that there remains a vast population of over five million people whose physical, mental and economic well-being have been negatively affected by the abrupt destruction of communities, workplaces and relationships. (2)  

Some might say that events from 1984 have little relevance to today; however, here is the Gothic rub. Thatcher’s victory in 1985 led directly to the privatisation of other utilities: Gas, Electricity… Water. If you wonder why human excrement, animal waste and industrial by-products are to be found in our waterways, rivers, seas and canals – remember the Miners’ Strike of 1984/5. If what should be pure is foul, if what should be crystal-clear is murkily opaque, then this is the Past intruding upon the Present. (3) 

Chesterfield: Northern Gothic.  

REFERENCES

  1. Encyclopaedia Britannica (2026). ‘Margaret Thatcher, prime minister of United Kingdom.’ https://www.britannica.com/biography/Margaret-Thatcher (accessed 28/08/26)2.   

  2. Fothergill S. Gore T. Leather D. (2024) ‘The State of the Coalfields 2024: Economic and social conditions in the former coalfields of England, Scotland and Wales.’  Sheffield Hallam University. https://www.shu.ac.uk/centre-regional-economic-social-research/publications/state-of-the-coalfields-2024 (accessed 28/08/26)3.   

  3. Marine Conservation Society 2026. ‘Sewage and Monitoring.’ https://www.mcsuk.org/what-we-do/pollution/sewage-pollution/ (accessed 28/08/26)4.   

  4. Northern Mine Research Society (Updated 11/05/26) https://nmrs.org.uk/mines-map/coal-mining-in-the-british-isles/derbynotts/derby/ (accessed 28/08/26)5.   

  5. Sheffield City Council. Sheffield Libraries Archives and Information 2009-2023. ‘Sources for the study of The Miners’ Strike 1984 – 1985’ https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2023-11/Sources%20for%20researching%20the%20history%20of%20the%20Miners%20Strike.pdf (accessed 28/08/26)6.   

  6. Stevens, D. (2000) The Gothic Tradition (Cambridge Contexts in Literature). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 7.    

  7. Thatcher, M. (1984) The Margaret Thatcher Foundation. Speech to 1922 Committee 19/07/84 (the enemy within) https://www.margaretthatcher.org/document/105563 (accessed 18/08/26) 

Jane Croft