Angel of The North
• The word ‘angel’ is derived from the Greek ‘angelos’ meaning ‘messenger’. Biblical angels not only brought tidings and commandments but also acted as; rescuers and guardians, Angelic beings are sometimes referred to as ‘sons of God’ and are often shown art as God’s ‘messengers’each being a special creation.
• Antony Gormley's The Angel of the North has become one of the most talked about pieces of public art ever produced. • Rising 20 meters from the earth near the A1 in Gateshead, the Angel dominates the skyline, dwarfing all those who come to see it. Made from 200 tonnes of steel, it has a wingspan of 54 metres.
Gateshead’s 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 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
• 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 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 sheen on the surface that mellows with age
The wings were attached to the body with 136 bolts and 52 bolts were used to hold the Angel upright in the wind.
• 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
Year 1 made their own pictures of the Angel of the North