The Angel of the North

When Antony Gormley created this 200 ton sculpture on the Gateshead horizon in 1998 he made sure that its wings were tilted.

He wanted the steel figure to reflect the area’s industrial heritage – and to appear as if it were embracing local people. Most hated it.

But over the decades the people of Tyneside learned to love their Angel.

Newcastle United fans created a giant team shirt to drape over it, while locals now call it The Gateshead Flasher – both cheekily acknowledging it as an icon for the North East, and for the nation as a whole. Why? Because it’s beautiful, epic and mysterious.