Tuesday 1 April 2014

A to Z 2014


A – Z OF THE UNITED KINGDOM


A is for Angel of the North
  




The Angel of the North was sculpted by Anthony Gormley in February 1998.  It dominates the skyline rising 20 metres from the earth near the A1 in Gateshead in the North of England.

The structure is made from 200 tonnes of steel with a wingspan of 54 metres.

It is sited on a hilltop to give the impression of a megalithic mound; it also conveys the idea of the men who worked in the dark in the mines underneath the ground.  The face does not have any individual features; the wings are not flat and have a 3.5 degrees forwardness to give a sense of an embrace. 

This is Britain’s largest sculpture.


The angel with no face
Some said it was a disgrace
A blot on the landscape
A rusted old embrace
Seen from far and wide
So modern it caused a divide
From North and South
It is here to stay
Forever and a day

 




14 comments:

  1. Had to Google this, as it sounded so interesting. A link to the info would be a good thing to have here. A great start to the A to Z. Enjoyed reading about any huge monuments. I like big Art.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for that great suggestion, will add links to the rest of my posts.

      Delete
  2. THanks for sharing. I was born in the UK but never heard of this before now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I believe it was commissioned in 1998.

      Delete
  3. I have not heard of this sculpture before--very interesting!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Spooky and what a great inspiration for a writer!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I live in the UK and although I've heard of the Angel of the North, I've never been far enough that way to see it. One day, I'm sure I'll glimpse it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The Angel of the North is very cool indeed . . . A great way to start. . .

    Rob Z Tobor

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'd not heard of this before, there are some amazing pictures of it on Google Earth! Thanks!

    Cat

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is the first I've heard of the Angel of the North. Great 'A' topic!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Like the others I have never heard of it Sally. This is just the stuff I love about A to Z ....so interesting!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Sally! Isn't it strange how people don't like monuments when they're first constructed then they become huge tourist attractions, like the Eiffel Tower!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Very interesting... a pic would be nice. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  12. A rusted embrace -- I like that!

    ReplyDelete