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The Angel of the North
Beautiful public art, or rusting monstrosity? Here’s what I think.
Do you have a landmark that is always there to welcome you home after a long trip; a welcoming sight that lets you know your journey is almost at an end? This may be a mighty structure, like a bridge, or something less significant, like specific graffiti on a road sign.
Indeed, one of the roadside indicators that tells me I am back in my native north-east of England is a cluster of cherry-pickers in a compound, that stand tall and erect as though in salute to my homecoming (at least that’s what I like to think).
But, of course, given my location, the big one for me and many others returning northwards on the A1, is the Antony Gormley designed structure The Angel of the North, which unfurled its wings for the first time in 1998.
Divided Opinion
The Angel stands on a hill near Low Fell in Gateshead, on the site of a former coal mine. The statue overlooks the busy A1 road, and the A167, and it can also be viewed by passing rail passengers on the East Coast Main line.
The statue has divided opinion since its conception. To some it is a rusting monstrosity, while others see it as a graceful piece of public art. Prior to its erection, there were complaints about…
