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The Angel of the North is as much a part of Gateshead's identity as the Statue of Liberty is to New York. Since it first spread its wings in February 1998, it has become one of the most talked about and recognisable pieces of public art ever produced.
It was in 1990 that the site, a former colliery pithead baths, was re-claimed and earmarked for a future sculpture. When sculptor Antony Gormley was selected as the winning artist in 1994, his designs originally caused uproar. The controversial material and site of the sculpture were frowned upon. However, once in place many people's original views on the piece changed completely. Local residents have fallen in love with the Angel and it has become synonymous with Gateshead.
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 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
It is 20 metres (65 feet) high - the height of a five storey building or four double decker buses
It weighs 200 tonnes - the body 100 tonnes and the wings 50 tonnes each
There is enough steel in it to make 16 double decker buses or four Chieftain tanks
It will last for more than 100 years
It will withstand winds of more than 100 miles per hour
Below the sculpture, massive concrete piles 20 metres deep will anchor it to the solid rock beneath
It is made of weather resistant Cor-ten 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
The total cost of The Angel of the North was £800,000.
