As you approach Tyneside either via car or train, you are greeted by the welcoming wide-open arms of The Angel of the North as it comes into view.
Visited by over 150,000 visitors a year, people come from all over the globe to witness the huge structure in all of its flesh and glory, the Angel of the North emits a strength and power that so many people enjoy on their first visit and many come back and visit again.
The parks and green around the Angel of the North make a great picnic area for families, it really is a breathtaking experience. It stands over 65 feet, higher than four double-decker buses. Its wingspan stretches 175 feet, almost the length of the wings of a jumbo jet.
There is a wooden fort here that was built on top of an Anglo-Saxon cemetery by Robert Curthose, the illegitimate son of William the Conqueror. However, the present keeps date back to the twelfth century. There are rooms and staircases and a bare Norman Chapel that lie off the Great Hall.
Inside the Great Hall are displays that relate to the Civil War siege of 1644 by a Scottish army that supported the Parliamentarian cause. There is also a tiny museum room that displays various archaeological finds.
The Angel of the North is one of England’s 12 official icons. It is reported that every second, the structure is seen by more than one person traveling by.
That’s over 90,000 people every day or nearing 34 million each year, being in this position makes it one of the most viewed artworks in the entire world.