Work began on the project in 1994 and cost £800,000. The Angel was finished on 16 February 1998.
Due to its exposed location, the sculpture was built to withstand winds of over 100 mph (160 km/h). Thus, foundations containing 600 tonnes of concrete which anchor the sculpture to rock 70 feet (21 m) below. The sculpture was made in Hartlepool using weather-resistant steel. It was made in three parts—with the body weighing 100 tonnes and two wings weighing 50 tonnes each — then brought to its site by road. It took five hours for the body to be transported from its construction site in Hartlepool, up the A19 road to the site.
The Angel aroused some controversy in British newspapers including a "Gateshead stop the statue" campaign. Residents in the north of Birtley were claiming the Angel would interfere with TV reception. However, it has since been considered to be a landmark for The North East of England and has been listed by one organisation as an "Icon of England". It has often been used in films and television to represent Tyneside, as are other local landmarks such as the Tyne Bridge and the Gateshead Millennium Bridge.
Here's some amazing facts about the Angel of the North.
- It is believed to be the largest angel sculpture in the world
- It is one of the most viewed pieces of art in the world - seen by more than one person every second, 90,000 every day or 33 million every year
- It is one of the most famous artworks in the region - almost two thirds of people in the North East had already heard of the Angel of the North before it was built
- Its 54 metre (175 foot) wingspan is bigger than a Boeing 757 or 767 jet and almost the same as a Jumbo jet
- There is enough steel in it to make 16 double decker buses or four main battle tanks
- It will last for more than 100 years
- It will withstand winds of more than 100 miles per hour
- It is made of weather resistant steel, containing a small amount of copper, which forms a patina on the surface that mellows with age
- Huge sections of the Angel - up to six metres wide and 25 metres long - were transported to the site by lorry with a police escort
Tasks to log this virtual
Please email or message us the answers to the following questions and please don't include them in your log.
- Go to the statue and count the vertical ribs, pick one and walk around the statue counting until you get back to your start - how many did you count?
- Now take a few steps back and count the vertical ribs on both wings - how many did you count?
- Go to the information board and tell us how many individual steel pieces make up the statue
- Lastly tell us the name on the flag/banner in the top right image on the information board.
- Now take a photo of yourself or your GPS/phone with the Angel in the background or better still doing an 'Angel' like everyone else who stands before the Angel of the North. Taking a photo is a requirement to log the virtual and complies with the guidelines for virtual rewards.
- Logs without photos will be deleted, if you don't want them on the cache page include the photo in the message with your answers
For those who like Adventure Labs we have a 5 stage Adventure Lab for you to do here along with an old Traditional Cache Angels View (Tyne & Wear) and a Multi Cache Angel of the North Multi.
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.
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