Angel of the North

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Angel of the North
Angel of the North

Angel of the North is a modern sculpture designed by Antony Gormley, which is located in Gateshead, United Kingdom.

As the name suggests, it is a steel sculpture of an angel, standing 66 feet (20 metres) tall, with wings measuring 178 feet (54 metres) across — making it wider than the Statue of Liberty's height. The wings themselves are not planar, but are angled 3.5 degrees forward, which Gormley has said aims to create "a sense of embrace".[1] It stands on a hill, on the southern edge of Low Fell overlooking the A1 road and the A167 road into Tyneside and the East Coast Main Line rail route.

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[edit] Construction

Work began on the project in 1994, the total cost coming to £1m. Most of the project funding was provided by the National Lottery.

Due to its exposed location, the sculpture has to withstand winds of over 100 mph (160 km/h). Thus, 600 metric tonnes (661 tons) of concrete were used to create foundations which anchor the sculpture to rock 20 metres (66 ft) below.

The sculpture itself was created offsite at Hartlepool Steel Fabrications Ltd in three parts – with the body weighing 100 metric tonnes (110 tons), and two wings weighing 50 metric tonnes (55 tons) each – then brought to its site by road. It took seven hours for the body to be transported from its construction site in Hartlepool, up the A19 to the site.

Construction work on the Angel was finished in 16th February 1998. At first, Angel of the North aroused some controversy locally — one local councillor, Martin Callanan, was especially strong in his opposition — and in the UK newspapers. It has now come to be considered by some as a landmark for the North East of England [2][3]and is one of the 12 official 'Icons of England' - albeit not of the United Kingdom.

[edit] Photo gallery

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

A front view of the Angel of the North

Detail of the Angel's body

Silhouette

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Angel of the North > Background. Gateshead Council. Retrieved on 2007-03-09. “Gormley said of the Angel: "... The effect of the piece is in the alertness, the awareness of space and the gesture of the wings - they are not flat, they're about 3.5 degrees forward and give a sense of embrace."”
  2. ^ Angel of the North. AboutBritain.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-09.
  3. ^ The angel has landed. BBC (February 16, 1998). Retrieved on 2007-03-09.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 54°54′50.8″N, 1°35′21.9″W