Gateshead s Guardian Angel

T he Angel of the North is a                                          magnificent modern              The Angel of the North stands on   structure in Gateshead,         the site of a former colliery,     near Newcastle. While the             acting as a constant reminder of   sculptures unusual appearance         the area’s coal mining past.       initially attracted some local        However, this location is rather   controversy, the Angel is now         exposed, which meant that the      warmly regarded as a landmark of      Angel had to be built to           the North East and was chosen as      withstand harsh winds of over      one of the UK’s twelve official       100mph. To tackle this problem, a  ‘Icons of England'.                   whopping 165 tonnes of concrete                                          was used to create a foundation    Antony Gormley, creator of the        for the sculpture, anchoring it    Angel of the North, wanted his        firmly into 66ft of rocky ground.  sculpture to convey "a sense of       The coating of the Angel also had  embrace," so he gave the Angel a      to be weatherproof, so it was      massive wingspan of 175ft. As it      created out of weather-resistant   stands at the entrance of             steel that contains copper. This   Tyneside, the Angel’s inviting,       steel gives the sculpture its      wide-open wings succeed in warmly     beautiful, warm reddish colour     welcoming many visitors to            and will help the creation to      Newcastle and Gateshead. In           last for at least a century.       addition to its huge wingspan,                                           the sculpture is 65ft tall, which     Work started on the massive steel  is the equivalent of more than        structure in 1994 and the project  four double decker buses. The         cost around £1million to           imposing size of this 208-tonne       complete. The Angel was cast in    creation makes the name ‘Angel’       three separate pieces – the body   seem almost too delicate to be        and two wings - at Hartlepool      appropriate.                          Steel Fabrications Ltd. After      casting, the body alone weighed a     beautiful, warm reddish colour     massive 110 tonnes, whereas the       and will help the creation to      vast wings weighed an enormous 55     last for at least a century.       tonnes each.                                                                                                   Speaking of his Angel, Gormley     The Angel of the North stands on      said: “I’m just interested in      the site of a former colliery,        making the world a more exciting   acting as a constant reminder of      place to live.” As his creation    the area’s coal mining past.          is now enjoyed by around 150,000   However, this location is rather      visitors per year, as well as      exposed, which meant that the         being admired by over 90,00        Angel had to be built to              motorists a day, he can certainly  withstand harsh winds of over         claim to have achieved his goal.   100mph. To tackle this problem, a                                        whopping 165 tonnes of concrete       In February 2008, the Angel of     was used to create a foundation       the North celebrates its tenth     for the sculpture, anchoring it       birthday. To mark the occasion,    firmly into 66ft of rocky ground.     Gateshead Council is planning a    The coating of the Angel also had     year of special events and         to be weatherproof, so it was         activities. For more details,      created out of weather-resistant      visit their site                   steel that contains copper. This      http://www.gateshead.gov.uk.       steel gives the sculpture its          About the Author: Author: Beverley Bukowski Website: http://www.escortnewcastlekirsten.co.uk Beverley Bukowski is a former model from Newcastle, UK. She is a keen amateur journalist and used to be a Newcastle escort. Published At: www.Isnare.com