The miners’ strike started in Yorkshire in the spring of 1984 and within days half the country's mineworkers had walked out in a row over pit closures. The biggest industrial dispute in post-war Britain pitted thousands of miners and their trade union against then prime minister Margaret Thatcher and her government, which supported plans to shut 20 coal pits. These rare photos, plucked from the YEP archive, showcase the raw emotion of the dispute at pits around God’s own county. READ MORE: 21 of the best photos take you back to Yorkshire in 1983 YEP RETRO NEWSLETTER: Sign up for our free monthly email digest of Leeds nostalgia
7. Castleford
Police and pickets clash outside Hickson and Welch's chemical plant in April 1984. | YPN Photo: YPN
8. Grimethorpe
Pickets outside Grimethorpe Colliery gather around a brazier in the early morning chill in October 1984. | YPN Photo: YPN
9. Kellingley
The thick blue line. Police hold back pickets as an NCB van used to transport workers arrives at Kellingley Colliery in September 1984. | YPN Photo: YPN
10. Orgreave
A lone banner carries pickets' taunts at mounted police outside Orgreave coking plant in June 1984. | YPN Photo: YPN
11. Orgreave
Ranks of police face pickets outside Orgreave coking plan in June 1984. | YPN Photo: YPN
12. Leeds
Marching miners are welcomed at Leeds Civic Hall by Leeds City Council leader George Mudie, centre, and the deputy Lord Mayor of Leeds, Coun Joe Taylor, in July 1984. | YPN Photo: YPN