Is Newcastle’s Angel of the North statue a lump of scrap metal by the side of the road or a towering guardian of our hopes and wishes? In just over 20 years, Antony Gormley’s Angel has become the most loved piece of public art in the UK. Discover everything there is to know about it, including all of the ways to visit it, where to stay near the Angel, and see if you agree with its critics or its lovers.
This article may contain compensated links. Please read the disclaimer for more info
A Tribute to Newcastle’s People and History
One of the most astounding things that humans make is Sculpture.
This monumental iron angel is about the physical toil underground in the mines and the feats of engineering (building ships and bridges) by the people of the Gateshead area throughout 300 years of the Industrial Revolution.
What these northerners achieved is pretty colossal, and so is their Angel! The massive sculpture was on my bucket list for a long time.
Its creator, Antony Gormley, originally said he didn’t want to make a sculpture, thinking that it might just be a piece of kitsch motorway art.
But when the Gateshead Council showed him the site, he changed his mind. He describes the Angel of the North as
a focus of hope at a painful time of transition for the people of the North East, abandoned in the gap between the industrial and the information ages.
Antony Gormley
I really wanted to see this sculpture and see for myself what this Angel of the North controversy was all about. I wasn’t disappointed and you won’t be either! Hint: I loved it so much, I went on to create 65 fun facts about the Angel of the North!
What is It exactly?
You really don’t have to search hard to find this imposing angel wings project. Resting atop a hill at Low Eighton beside the M1 Motorway, the Antony Gormley Angel of the North sculpture gazes over a huge valley 2.5 kilometers wide.
It has become the symbol of the North and can be seen at Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, from miles away. 90,000 people see it as they journey along the A1 road every day.
The sculpture of the angel is a massive piece of public art. It is 20 meters tall and has a wingspan of 54 meters. That means its wingspan is almost as wide as a jumbo jet, and the Angel of the North is as tall as four double-decker buses!
Erected in February 1998, it is not surprising that it is the largest sculpture in Britain and the world’s largest Angel sculpture.
One of the most common questions visitors to the north east of England ask is “what is the Angel of the North made of?”
It is made of steel and is surrounded by pretty much nothing at all – no spotlights or human structures (this means there’s no point visiting the Angel of the North at night and, it also means you don’t have to edit anything out of your photos!)
The famous sculpture looks down upon a small angel garden made by humans that is touching and sad but also sweet.
The Angel’s Meaning
The Industrial Revolution was a time when the hills and valleys of the north were mined for the materials that allowed the English Empire to flourish.
Newcastle-Upon-Tyne was a mega-shipbuilding site and port. The end of the Industrial Revolution led to a gradual decline not just in British world power but in the relevance of the North for the existence of the Empire.
Power shifted to the south and to London in particular.
The artist, Sir Antony Gormley, won the Turner Prize in 1994 for his Field Projects and received an OBE in 1997 for his contributions to British contemporary sculpture.
For Antony Gormley, his massive sculpture of the Angel of the North is intended to:
- memorialize the many thousands of coal miners who worked underneath this area for 300 years,
- symbolize the transition that this part of the world is undergoing from one economic era to another, and
- provide, in a solid and reassuring way, the hope we can have during times of change and uncertainty.
A Few Angel of the North Facts
- Angel of the North visitor numbers: 150,000 per year!
- What it’s made from Large sculptures commonly use bronze. Gormely decided to use corten weathering steel for the sculpture because of Newcastle’s shipbuilding heritage. But also because of the other great Tyneside structure, the Tyne Bridge.
- Shape: Cast from a model of this own body, steel ribs run from the head down the body of Gateshead Council’s famous piece.
- Strength: Antony Gormley’s angel can withstand winds of 100 miles or 160 kilometers) an hour.
- The Angel of the North was built at Hartlepool Steel Fabrications in three separate parts.
- Who paid for it: This steel sculpture of an angel was funded, like many of the most recognizable pieces of public art in England, mainly by National Lottery funding.
- 200 tonnes of weathering steel went into making the Angel and it is anchored into solid rock by 500 tonnes of massive concrete piles.
- Size: Taller than four double-decker buses. Its oxidized color makes the famous piece stick out in the landscape.
- Width: The two wings together have a wingspan wider than that of a jumbo jet!
- Why: Gateshead Council has a Public Places Panel that wanted to commission a project that would be a millennial image to stand as a guardian over the landscape and the southern approach to Gateshead, Tyne and Wear.
- How old is the Angel of the North? The funding and planning permission was given to the project in 1995 and it was only 3 years later that it was opened.
- If you can’t get enough about the amazing Angel, here are a further 65 fun facts about the Angel of the North.
These concrete foundations had to go down 70 feet! The use of such strong and permanent materials was also to withstand the fierce winds of the North.
It is an impressive engineering feat and Gormley wanted it to be similar to other great engineering feats in Newcastle such as the miles of mining tunnels underground and the building of ships.
Gormley used his own body as the initial image to make the molds to test the structure. He created three draft sculptures or maquettes. These have been sold for millions of dollars each.
I used to walk past a life-size maquette each morning, in the sculpture garden of the National Gallery of Australia. It’s in Canberra, across the world from the Angel of the North in Gateshead!
The Angel’s Memorial Garden
Perhaps the most humanizing and touching aspect of the sculpture is not the giant sculpture itself, but the meaning that humans give to angels and that locals have given to their Angel.
The Angel’s wings are deliberately not straight. They are tilted at an angle of 3.5 degrees to provide a welcoming sense of embrace of the city and the valley.
Northerners have wanted their loved ones to rest in the shelter of the angel wings. Below and to the side of the hill is a small copse of low trees. On the branches of these trees, people have hung little angels of the north images and left notes and pictures about the death of their loved ones, and of children in particular.
When you read these touching memorials to their lost children and look up the hill at this monumental guardian angel, you realize how much humans want and sometimes need to believe in the benevolence and compassion of the universe.
And that’s why this sculpture has become beloved by so many and where the power of sculpture lies. Perhaps that’s why sculpture has been described by the British sculptor Phyllida Barlow as “the most anthropological of the artforms.”
Angel of the North Alan Shearer Shirt
It’s been suggested that the Geordies of Gateshead, neighboring Newcastle, and the people of Northumberland finally fell in love with the Angel of the North when Newcastle United fans made and clothed the Angel in its own Alan Shearer ‘Angel of the North Shearer shirt.’
You can watch them put the No. 9 Alan Shearer shirt on the Angel in this video:
Of course, not everyone is a fan of the Council’s art. The Gateshead Post headline was “Nazi…but nice?” Some people complain that there should be food, toilets, and other attractions at the hilltop site.
You can see from this pic that after the pandemic there are a few facilities appearing at least in the car park.
And some people just don’t get it or like it. One comment on the Facebook site is:
Nothing special just a rusty statue in the ground,
Nothing else around it to make it worthwhile going apart from a butty van in the lay-by
Would you visit this Newcastle statue?
Where is Newcastle Gateshead? How to Get to the Sculpture
- By Bus: Gateshead Council has put on a bus called “The Angel” (No. 21) that departs from Newcastle Eldon Square Bus Station and Gateshead Interchange every 8 minutes. The bus takes around 20 minutes from Newcastle and 10 minutes from Gateshead Interchange to get to the Angle of the North stop. The return fare from Newcastle is £3.90. You can view the No. 21 bus timetable and route map
- Take the A1 Motorway and exit onto the A167 (Gateshead South). The Angel of the North free car park is about 300 yards further on your left and it’s a very short walk from this small car park to the iron Angel.
- Train: You are also not far from the East Coast main line rail route here (London to Edinburgh) and so a train trip is also an easy way to visit the work of art.
Where to Stay to See the Angel of the North
🏨 Crowne Plaza Newcastle – Stephenson Quarter, an IHG Hotel –Close to Newcastle Railway Station, the hotel has a great pool and bar, popular with couples and groups
🏨 The Vermont ApartHotel – Surrounded by restaurants, the ApartHotel is in a great location, with every kind of dining option, whether you are looking for casual or fine dining.
🏨 Jesmond Dene House – a stately mansion close to two metro stations, popular with couples.
🏨 Hotel Du Vin, Newcastle – delightful loft rooms with free-standing baths, in the nightclub district.
Best accommodation within 5 km of the Angel of the North
🏨 Park Farm Hotel – A 4-star bed & breakfast with a rustic on-site restaurant, great location, beds, and staff. Angel of the North: 5 min drive (2.5 miles) or 1 hr, 2 min walk (3 miles)
🏨 Bowes Incline Hotel – 4 stars, clean, spacious rooms, a great bar, and the hotel is 25 minutes from Newcastle International Airport. Angel of the North: 7 min drive (3 miles) or 26 min walk (1.3 miles)
🏨 Eslington Villa– An award-winning 3-star hotel and restaurant. Couples, families, and groups love the terrace and garden, great dining, and large bathrooms. Angel of the North: 4 min drive (1.9 miles) or 40 min walk (2 miles)
Keep Planning Your Trip to England
- 65 Fun Facts about the Angel of the North, England
- Why You Should See Newcastle’s Angel of the North Statue
- Guide to the 3 Best Newcastle Christmas markets for 2023 in Newcastle UK
- Best Hadrian’s Wall Walks, Tours and Accommodation
- 12 Best Cultural and Historical Places in England to Visit
- How to Buy Premier League Tickets If Not A Member? 6 ways to buy EPL tickets [2023]
- United Kingdom
- Angel of the North |Durham Rod, Low Eighton, Gateshead NE9 7TY | Phone: +44 191 433 3000 | www.gateshead.gov.uk
My husband, son and I visited The Angel of the North while touring the U.K. It was just after the terrorist attack at the concert where so many young pe ople were killed and badly injured.It was very moving as so many people had left gifts and pictures of loved ones who had died that night.I wandered down to the little wooded area where stories, toys and pictures of lost loved ones had been left, I shed so many tears that day. Please do not destroy this area with picnic areas, toilet blocks etc, that will destroy the peace and beauty of the statue. I would definately return as it is so tranquil and give a feeling of peace. Regards The O’Neill Family.
Thank you for your moving comment Lynda. I agree it’s a special place and I hope it stays the way it is.
I love everything about this statue – the backstory, the wing tilt, its immensity and its placement overlooking the green rolling hills, the hope it inspires …and that jersey !!!I I was unaware of this piece but would certainly find my way to it in Newcastle (or to the Maquette if I found myself in Canberra). I am currently equally far from both in Pacific Mexico (Zihuatanejo), but I will find my way to this piece someday.
What a lovely comment Lisa thank you!
This sure is a bucket list-item to see for sure, I would love to travel there and see it with my own eyes 🙂
It’s hard to miss 🙂