Northumberlandia sculpture work to start next year

Jul 2 2009 by David Black, The Journal

WORK will start next year on a spectacular £2.5m earth sculpture in Northumberland which aims to create a major new tourist attraction and an icon celebrating the county’s coal mining heritage.

Bulldozers and excavators will take up to 12 months to shape the massive Northumberlandia landform, a naked and reclining female figure which has already been dubbed the Goddess of the North.

Built from 1.5 million tonnes of soil and clay, and measuring 400 metres in length and 34 metres in height, it will form the centrepiece of a 75-acre public park to developed at the Shotton opencast mine near Cramlington.

Yesterday the final designs for Northumberlandia were unveiled by its creator, renowned American landform architect and artist Charles Jencks – who has worked with mine operator the Banks Group, and landowner, the Blagdon Estate, on the flagship project.

Set against the backdrop of the faraway Cheviot Hills to the north, the huge sculpture will be seen from the air as a giant female form lying on the ground with arms outstretched.

Footpaths will be created across the 12-acre landform which will allow visitors to stroll around it, and also walk to the top of its highest points.

Yesterday Mr Jencks said it had been a real challenge to come up with a landmark feature which would ‘astonish and delight’ people, while not offending them.

A detailed planning application has been submitted to the county council and work on Northumberlandia is scheduled to start next spring or summer with completion in 2011.