The Angel that watches over the North
An iconic symbol of northern pride since 1998, Anthony Gormley's iconic 20-metre high sculpture in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, is influenced and inspired by the experience of the Coalminers - who worked in pits beneath the site. It was constructed from 1994-1998, and is made from steel and its creation is regarded as a significant engineering achievement. It has a dominant presence for those travelling on the A1.
Coal was once the lifeblood of industry, and an essential part of life in the North East of England. At its peak in 1913 the Great North Coalfield employed almost a quarter of a million men, producing over 56 million tons of coal every year from around 400 pits. Mining was a dangerous profession with notorious working conditions, as in the early days, miners used hand picks, with hardly any health and safety provision. There were numerous disasters and many men lost their lives. Industrial disputes between the workers and the private mine owners often occurred, including during the 1926 general strike, when effectively the miners were starved back to work.
Nationalisation took place after the election of a Labour government after World War Two and the establishment of the National Coal Board.
Following the controversial miners' strike in 1984/5 under the then-Conservative government, and the closure of many pits, Gormley later captured the spirit of the mining legacy, and sought to signal a northern renaissance with his massive 'winged man'.
Gormley wanted to acknowledge the sacrifice of the miners, to represent the transition from an industrial age to an information age and to serve as a focus for our evolving hopes and fears. This is partly why the Angel of the North was constructed above the site where miners had worked for two centuries.
A Turner Prize winner, Gormley was commissioned in 1994 by Gateshead Council to create a post-industrial totem. Like much of his work, Gormley used a plaster cast of his own body as the basis for the figure. So why an angel? “No one has ever seen one,” Gormley reasoned, “and we need to keep imagining them."
Further reading
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