As a photographer, Darwell "roots himself in neglected landscapes".[1] His early work, published inWorking Lives andThe Big Ditch, was in black and white, but he moved to colour soon thereafter and has not used black and white since.[4]
Jimmy Jock, Albert and the Six Sided Clock (published in 1993) shows the Liverpool docklands at a time when "the amount of cargo passing through the docks" was higher than ever before, but when, thanks to mechanization, everything was run by fewer than 600 men, down from over 20,000.[5]
For three weeks in late 1999, Darwell photographed within theChernobyl Exclusion Zone:Pripyat, numerous villages, a landfill site, and people continuing to live within the Zone. This resulted in an exhibition and book titledLegacy.[6]
The first pyre intended to check theBritish outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in early 2001 took place very close to Darwell's house in Cumbria. Darwell devoted a year to photographing this and its aftermath; the resulting book,Dark Days, "catalogues the destruction that consumed local farming communities and shut Cumbria off from the outside world".[7]
DDSBs: Discarded Dog Sh*t Bags shows "a typology of discarded plastic bags containing dog muck", photographs Darwell presents "as evidence of our half-hearted commitment to the ecological cause".[1]
Working Lives. Stockport, Ches.: Stockport Museums and Gallery Service, 1986.ISBN0-905164-36-9. With a foreword by John Baker, an introduction by Frank Galvin, and additional photographs from the Stockport Museum archive.
The Big Ditch: The Manchester Ship Canal Seen through the Camera of John Darwell. Chorley, Lancs: Countryside Publications, 1987.ISBN0-86157-250-5. Photographs of theManchester Ship Canal.
(h)arris: Images from the Western Isles. Democratic Book no. 9. Cologne: Democratic Books, 2004. A PDF that is freely downloadable from the publisher's website.[n 4]
Sheffield: Things Seen whilst Wandering around Attercliffe. Southport, Merseyside: Café Royal Books, 2014.[n 10]
Sheffield: The Remains of Some Buildings around the Don Valley. Southport, Merseyside: Café Royal Books, 2014.[n 11]
Sheffield: In Transition. Southport, Merseyside: Café Royal Books, 2014.[n 12]
The Dark River: Bolton — Farnworth. Southport, Merseyside: Café Royal Books, 2015. Edition of 150 copies.[n 13]
The Dark River: Kearsley — Clifton. Southport, Merseyside: Café Royal Books, 2015. Edition of 150 copies.[n 14]
The Dark River: Kearsley Power Station. Southport, Merseyside: Café Royal Books, 2016. Edition of 150 copies.[n 15]
The Dark River: Clifton — Death Valley — Agecroft. Southport, Merseyside: Café Royal Books, 2016. Edition of 150 copies.[n 16]
The Dark River: Agecroft — Salford. Southport, Merseyside: Café Royal Books, 2016. Edition of 150 copies. Some copies are accompanied by a separate essay by Paul Herrmann, "Reflections on Dark River."[n 17]
^The publisher's website:democraticbooks.org. If this is unavailable, the PDF remains available fromhere, as archived on 13 July 2006 by the Wayback Machine.
^Café Royal Books' page aboutSheffield: Tinsley Viaduct ishere.
^Café Royal Books' page aboutSheffield: Meadowhall, Hyde Park, Ponds Forge ishereArchived 2015-09-24 at theWayback Machine.
^Café Royal Books' page aboutGrangemouth and the Forth Estuary ishere.
^The Velvet Cell's page about Chronicles set 2, includingDesert States, was archivedhere by the Wayback Machine on 12 July 2014.
^abThe Velvet Cell's page about Chronicles set 3, includingDesert States, was archivedhere by the Wayback Machine on 23 August 2014.
^Café Royal Books' page aboutSheffield: Things Seen whilst Wandering around Attercliffe ishere.
^Café Royal Books' page aboutSheffield: The Remains of Some Buildings around the Don Valley ishere.
^Café Royal Books' page aboutSheffield in Transition ishere.
^Café Royal Books' page aboutThe Dark River: Bolton — Farnworth ishere.
^Café Royal Books' page aboutThe Dark River: Kearsley — Clifton ishere.
^Café Royal Books' page aboutThe Dark River: Kearsley Power Station ishere.
^Café Royal Books' page aboutThe Dark River: Clifton — Death Valley — Agecroft ishere.
^Café Royal Books' page aboutThe Dark River: Agecroft — Salford ishere.
