Angel of the North

The Angel of the North is a contemporary sculpture by Antony Gormley, located in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England. Completed in 1998, it is seen by an estimated 33 million people every year due to its proximity to the A1 and A167 roads and the East Coast Main Line. The design of the Angel, like many of Gormley's works, is based on Gormley's own body. The COR-TEN weathering steel material gives the sculpture its distinctive rusty, oxidised colour. It stands 20 metres (66 ft) tall with a wingspan of 54 metres (177 ft). The vertical ribs on its body and wings act as an external skeleton which direct oncoming wind to the sculpture's foundations, allowing it to withstand wind speeds of over 100 miles per hour (160 km/h). The sculpture was commissioned and delivered by Gateshead Council who approached Gormley to be the sculptor. Although initially reluctant, Gormley agreed to undertake the project after visiting and being inspired by the Angel's proposed site, a former colliery overlooking the varied topography of the Tyne and Wear Lowlands National Character Area. Hartlepool Steel Fabrications were responsible for the manufacture and assembly of the 208-tonne sculpture. On 14 February 1998, the Angel was transported overnight to the installation site and erected the next morning. The project faced opposition during its design and construction, but is now widely recognised as an iconic example of public art and a symbol of Gateshead and the wider North East region.

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Team Colliery

Team Colliery is a hamlet and estate in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England. The estate is made up of 23 private and rented houses which form the street Cowen Gardens. Team Colliery is part of Lamesley parish. It borders Allerdene to the North, Harlow Green to the East, Low Eighton to the south, and Lamesley to the west. It is one of the oldest estates in the area, pre-dating the more recently built Harlow Green and Allerdene which split the estate from Low Fell. Team Colliery can only be accessed Northbound by Durham Road. The estate is situated next to a field what was once the Bath Houses of the former Ravensworth Ann Colliery, also known as Low Eighton Colliery, and Team Colliery from which the estate owes its name. The colliery opened in 1726 and closed 1973. Besides houses the estate formerly was home to small allotments and currently holds a small outdoor bowling green. The estate is situated directly behind the Angel of the North being only 322 meters from the iconic statue, and over looks the Team Valley to the west. The estate is featured in the first scene of the opening credits to the ITV detective series Vera.

Tyne Yard

Tyne Yard (TY) is a railway yard in Birtley, England, on the East Coast Main Line, operated by DB Cargo UK. The yard is the major freight yard of the North East, with the majority of rail freight movements in Tyne and Wear from around Great Britain passing through the yard.

Lamesley railway station

Lamesley railway station served the village of Lamesley, Tyne and Wear, England from 1868 to 1959 on the East Coast Main Line.

Lamesley

Lamesley is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 3,742. The village is on the southern outskirts of Gateshead, near to Birtley. The parish includes Kibblesworth, Lamesley village, Eighton Banks and Northside, Birtley which is predominantly private housing in neighbourhoods named The Hollys, Long Bank, Northdene and Crathie. The ruined Ravensworth Castle is also in Lamesley. A hilltop contemporary sculpture in the parish is the Angel of the North by Antony Gormley on a minor hilltop which is lower than the adjoining Low Fell and High Fell outside the parish.