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Northumberlandia (the "Lady of the North") is a huge land art sculpture in the shape of a reclining female figure, which was completed in 2012, near Cramlington, Northumberland, northern England. It is in the care of Northumberland Wildlife Trust.^[1]

Made of 1.5 million tonnes of earth from neighbouring Shotton Surface Mine, it is 34 metres (112 feet) high and 400 metres (1,300 feet) long, set in a 19 hectares (47 acres) public park. Its creators claim that it is the largest land sculpture in female form in the world.^[2]

When constructed, it was intended to be a major tourist attraction, with the developers hoping that it would attract an additional 200,000 visitors a year to Northumberland.^[3] It was officially opened by Anne, Princess Royal on 29 August 2012.^[4] A day-long Community Opening Event on 20 October 2012 marked the park becoming fully open to the public.^[2]

Development

Designed by American landscape architect Charles Jencks,^[5] the sculpture was built on the Blagdon Estate, owned by Matt Ridley, a journalist, businessman and author of The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature.^{[citation needed]}

The £2.5 million cost was borne by the Blagdon Estate and the Banks Group, who carried out the construction work. The construction is part of the development of an adjacent open-cast coal mine at Shotton. For this project, it was decided to use part of the excavated material to make a land sculpture rather than return it all to the surface mine, as is normally done at the end of such operations.

Condition

In April 2023, Northumberland Wildlife Trust reported that the work was suffering excessive wear, due to visitors failing to stay on the designated paths. Extra signage is planned to discourage this, as well as repairs which, the Trust said, "will take years to complete".^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b Brown, Mark (30 April 2023). "'She is looking worse for wear': visitors take a toll on the Lady of the North". The Guardian.
^ ^a ^b "Northumberlandia: The naked lady of Cramlington". BBC News. 1 September 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
^ "Work begins on 'Goddess of the North' in Northumberland". BBC News website. 8 April 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
^ "Northumberlandia: Princess Royal opens naked sculpture". BBC News. 3 September 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
^ Gilbert, Jonathan (17 June 2011). "Coming to the UK -- a half-mile long woman's body". Reuters website. Retrieved 21 August 2011.^{[dead link]}

External links

Official website
In pictures: Northumberlandia - the reclining lady, BBC, 30 August 2012
Banks Group – Shotten/Northumberlandia
Satellite view

55°5′18.2″N 1°37′41.1″W / 55.088389°N 1.628083°W / 55.088389; -1.628083

[Brown-1] Brown, Mark (30 April 2023). "'She is looking worse for wear': visitors take a toll on the Lady of the North". The Guardian.

[cramlington-2] "Northumberlandia: The naked lady of Cramlington". BBC News. 1 September 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2012.

[3] "Work begins on 'Goddess of the North' in Northumberland". BBC News website. 8 April 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2011.

[4] "Northumberlandia: Princess Royal opens naked sculpture". BBC News. 3 September 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2012.

[5] Gilbert, Jonathan (17 June 2011). "Coming to the UK -- a half-mile long woman's body". Reuters website. Retrieved 21 August 2011.^{[dead link]}

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[2]

[3]

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
-[[Image:Northumberlandia 001.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Northumberlandia under construction in August 2011]]
+{{italic title}}
-[[File:Northumberlandia - facial shot.jpg|thumb|right|The head pictured from below showing lips, nostrils, eyes and forehead]]
+[[Image:Northumberlandia 001.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|''Northumberlandia'' under construction in August 2011]]
-'''Northumberlandia''' (the "Lady of the North") is a huge land sculpture in the shape of a reclining female figure, which was completed in 2012, near [[Cramlington]], [[Northumberland]], northern [[England]].
+[[File:Northumberlandia - facial shot.jpg|thumb|The head pictured from below showing lips, nostrils, eyes and forehead]]
+'''''Northumberlandia''''' (the "Lady of the North") is a huge [[land art]] sculpture in the shape of a reclining female figure, which was completed in 2012, near [[Cramlington]], [[Northumberland]], northern [[England]]. It is in the care of [[Northumberland Wildlife Trust]].<ref name="Brown">{{cite news |last1=Brown |first1=Mark |title='She is looking worse for wear': visitors take a toll on the Lady of the North |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/apr/30/northumberlandia-visitors-take-a-toll-on-the-lady-of-the-north |work=The Guardian |date=30 April 2023}}</ref>
 Made of 1.5 million tonnes of earth from neighbouring [[Shotton Surface Mine]], it is {{convert|34|m|ft|abbr=off}} high and {{convert|400|m|ft|abbr=off}} long, set in a {{convert|19|ha|acre|abbr=off}} public park. Its creators claim that it is the largest land sculpture in female form in the world.<ref name="cramlington" />
-It is intended to be a major tourist attraction with the developers hoping that it will attract an additional 200,000 visitors a year to Northumberland.<ref>{{Cite web
+When constructed, it was intended to be a major tourist attraction, with the developers hoping that it would attract an additional 200,000 visitors a year to Northumberland.<ref>{{Cite web
   | title = Work begins on 'Goddess of the North' in Northumberland
   | publisher = BBC News website
@@ Line 11: / Line 13: @@
   | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tyne/8608779.stm
   | accessdate = 21 August 2011
-}}</ref> It was officially opened by [[Anne, Princess Royal]] on 29 August 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-19458150 |title=Northumberlandia: Princess Royal opens naked sculpture |publisher=BBC News |date=2012-09-03 |accessdate=2012-09-03}}</ref> A day-long Community Opening Event on 20 October 2012 marked the park becoming fully open to the public.<ref name="cramlington">{{cite news
+}}</ref> It was officially opened by [[Anne, Princess Royal]] on 29 August 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-19458150 |title=Northumberlandia: Princess Royal opens naked sculpture |publisher=BBC News |date=2012-09-03 |accessdate=2012-09-03}}</ref> A day-long Community Opening Event on 20 October 2012 marked the park becoming fully open to the public.<ref name="cramlington">{{cite news
   |title=Northumberlandia: The naked lady of Cramlington
-  |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-19396755
+  |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-19396755
   |accessdate=2 September 2012
   |newspaper=BBC News
   |date=1 September 2012
-}}</ref>
-It has been nicknamed "[[Slag]] Alice" by some.<ref name=Mail>{{Cite web
-  | title = 'Slag Alice' is set to rival Angel of the North
-  | publisher = Mail Online website
-  | date = 22 May 2011
-  | url = http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1389661/Sleeping-Slag-Alice-built-coal-pit-set-rival-Angel-North.html
-  | accessdate = 21 August 2011
 }}</ref>
 == Development ==
-[[File:Northumberlandia map.svg|thumb|right|A map of Northumberlandia.]]
+[[File:Northumberlandia LIDAR.jpg|thumb|left|Relief map of Northumberlandia]]
+[[File:Northumberlandia map.svg|thumb|right|A map of ''Northumberlandia'']]
 Designed by [[Americans|American]] landscape architect [[Charles Jencks]],<ref>{{Cite web
   | last = Gilbert
@@ Line 35: / Line 30: @@
   | publisher = Reuters website
   | date = 17 June 2011
-  | url = http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/06/17/oukoe-uk-britain-sculpture-idUKTRE75G23N20110617?feedType=nl&feedName=ukoddlyenough
+  | url = http://uk.reuters.com/article/oukoe-uk-britain-sculpture-idUKTRE75G23N20110617?feedType=nl&feedName=ukoddlyenough
   | accessdate = 21 August 2011
+}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
-}}</ref>
-the sculpture was built on the [[Blagdon Hall|Blagdon Estate]], owned by [[Matthew White Ridley, 5th Viscount Ridley|Matt Ridley]], a journalist, businessman and author of ''[[The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature]]''.<ref name=Mail/>
+the sculpture was built on the [[Blagdon Hall|Blagdon Estate]], owned by [[Matthew White Ridley, 5th Viscount Ridley|Matt Ridley]], a journalist, businessman and author of ''[[The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature]]''.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}
-The £2.5 million cost was borne by the Blagdon Estate and the [[Banks Group]], who carried out the construction work. The construction is part of the development of an adjacent [[open-cast mining|open-cast]] [[Coal-mining|coal mine]] at [[Shotton, Northumberland|Shotton]]. For this project, it was decided to use part of the excavated material to make a land sculpture rather than return it all to the surface mine, as is normally done at the end of such operations.
+The £2.5 million cost was borne by the Blagdon Estate and the [[Banks Group]], who carried out the construction work. The construction is part of the development of an adjacent [[open-cast mining|open-cast]] [[Coal-mining|coal mine]] at [[Shotton, Stannington|Shotton]]. For this project, it was decided to use part of the excavated material to make a land sculpture rather than return it all to the surface mine, as is normally done at the end of such operations.
+== Condition ==
+In April 2023, Northumberland Wildlife Trust reported that the work was suffering excessive wear, due to visitors failing to stay on the designated paths. Extra signage is planned to discourage this, as well as repairs which, the Trust said, "will take years to complete".<ref name="Brown" />
 == See also ==
 * [[Sleeping Lady]]
 == References ==
 {{reflist}}
@@ Line 50: / Line 50: @@
 {{commons category}}
 * {{official website|http://www.northumberlandia.com/}}
-* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-19415219 In pictures: Northumberlandia - the reclining lady], BBC, 30 August 2012
+* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-19415219 In pictures: ''Northumberlandia'' - the reclining lady], BBC, 30 August 2012
 * [http://www.banksgroup.co.uk/banks-group/banks-mining/mining-sites/north-east-england/shotton/ Banks Group – Shotten/Northumberlandia]
 * [http://www.imaging-resource.com/?ACT=44&fid=17&d=1374&f=158209281.jpg Satellite view]
@@ Line 62: / Line 62: @@
 [[Category:Land art]]
 [[Category:Geoglyphs]]
+[[Category:Sculptures of women in England]]
+[[Category:Cramlington]]