Echoes of Khazad-dûm

The woods around Box conceal far more than first meets the eye. Among the trees lie the remains of Victorian stone mines whose underground passages extend for miles beneath the surrounding countryside. During the Second World War these vast workings were transformed into factories, ammunition depots and military stores. In the Cold War, part of the network became one of Britain's alternative seats of government. This underground world remains closed to the public and, to local people, it has long been known simply as the secret underground city. Walking through these woods, it is easy to imagine another hidden kingdom beneath the limestone. Inspired by Benjamin Brain's challenge to me to reinterpret this landscape through the world of J.R.R. Tolkien, these photographs follow an imagined journey towards the lost dwarf realm of Khazad-dûm. The sequence is not intended to illustrate Tolkien's story literally, but to explore how myth and history can coexist within a familiar landscape. My original interpretation of this project relied on an artificial colour palette to create atmosphere. Returning to it three years later, I realised that approach had become a limitation. Revisiting the photographs with the benefit of greater experience has allowed me to reinterpret both the landscape and the story it suggests.