This mural contrasts two aspects of Eastwood life, illustrating two quotes from Lawrence's writing. On the left is a mining scene: 'there was a sort of inner darkness like the gloss of coal in which we moved and had our being.' This is taken from the essay 'Nottingham and the Mining Country' (1930). The right-hand panel is captioned: 'the east was tender with a magenta flush under which the land lay still and rich...', a quotation from Sons and Lovers (1913).
The underground scene shows a group of miners in a remarkably spacious tunnel; contemporary accounts speak of far more cramped conditions in most local pits. The illustration of the family out for a walk seems even more bizarre: not only is the sky pale blue rather than magenta, but the quote is from a scene in the novel when Miriam and Paul are walking alone.
In its current position it is unseen by most visitors to the town. It would be interesting to know who painted the mural, and under what circumstances?
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