Built between 1973 – 1978, the Byker Wall is recognised as one of the most recognisable buildings in the region.
Designed by the architect Ralph Erskine, it provides 620 maisonettes across 200 acres on site, all buildings are in an unbroken chain.
Archive for September, 2009
Byker Wall
Friday, September 25th, 2009Angel of the North
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009
The Angel of the North ranks alongside the Tyne Bridge as the iconic image of the North East, when people are asked to sum up the North East England in one landmark they refer to the Angel of the North.
Designed by Turner Prize winning artist Antony Gormley OBE in 1994, the Angel took several years to manufacture at Hartlepool Steel Fabrication. The structure posed several issues as the span of the wings (54m/177ft) match that of a Boeing 747, as you can imagine it was a project that took considerable patience and attention to detail.
The structure is made from Steel, and stands at 66ft, making it a very imposable figure as the high volume of traffic passes by on the A1 & A167, even more impressive is The Angel of the North can withstand winds of 100mph.
The cost of the Angel of the North was highly debated by the people of Gateshead, especially as Gateshead was considered an area of poverty within the North East, people were outraged that £1m was to be spent on this, however money was granted by the National Lottery which helped to soften the blow, and since then the amount of visitors and revenue brought to the area has significantly dwarfed the cost.
To view Angel of the North pictures you can search the postcode – NE9 7TY.
Angel of the North facts: -
Height – 20m
Span – 54m
Cost – £1m
Material – Steel
Located – Gateshead.