A London exhibition of prints by acclaimed Manx photographer Chris Killip shines a light on a lost element of the Island’s rural past.

‘Mills and Millers’, showing at the Madison contemporary art gallery in west London (3^rd June – 4^th July 2009) showcases sixteen prints focusing on some of the Island’s now disused mills and the people who worked them.

The same photographs also form the subject of a new Isle of Man Post stamp issue, due for release on 1^st April 2009.

Glenmoar (Glenfaba), Golden Meadow Mill (Castletown) and Kella Mill (Sulby) are amongst those shown, along with scenes featuring Tom Kinnish’s thrashing mill.

The photographs date from 1970-1973, during which time Killip had already embarked on a wider project to capture the Isle of Man at a time of social and economic transition, when he perceived that traditional Manx ways of life were changing irrevocably.

The eventual result, published in 1980, was The Isle of Man: A Book About the Manx.

The Madison exhibition marks the first appearance of certain of the photographs, all of which have been dated and signed by Killip.

Douglas-born Killip, now a Professor of Visual and Environmental Studies at Harvard University, is widely held to be one of the world’s most influential photographers. The winner of numerous accolades, including the Henri Cartier-Bresson award, his work can be found in the permanent collections of several prominent international galleries.