The world’s largest sculpted human form is now taking shape in the Northumberland countryside.
Around £2.5m is being invested by regional developer The Banks Group and The Blagdon Estate to creation the unique Northumberlandia landform.
It will be the centrepiece of a public park on land donated by the Estate to the west of Cramlington.
Four hundred metres long and up to 34 metres high, Northumberlandia will be formed from 1.5 million tonnes of soil and clay taken from Banks’ nearby Shotton surface mine.
It will be built using bulldozers and excavators, with the work being undertaken by Banks employees from the Shotton site.
Northumberlandia’s designer, world-renowned artist Charles Jencks, Banks Group Chairman Harry Banks and Matt Ridley from Blagdon Estate will cut the turf on site to mark the official start of work on the project, which is expected to take around two years to complete.
Since the mine was given the go-ahead in 2008, the Banks Group and Blagdon Estate have been working closely with Charles Jencks to finalise the design for the landform park, due to be open to the public in 2013.
Mark Dowdall, environment and community director at The Banks Group, said: “We are confident Northumberlandia will quickly become a widely-recognised and acclaimed regional landmark.
“Together with the surrounding park it will be a wonderful place for people to visit. Our plans have attracted great interest both from across the country and right around the world.
“This artwork could not exist without the adjacent mining operation, which employs a growing workforce of 125 people directly on site and supports over 350 other jobs within the Banks Group. It also injects over £12m directly and indirectly into the regional economy every year.
Giles Ingram, executive director at Northumbrian Tourism, says: “Northumberland is carving out quite a reputation now for original artwork in natural settings – from the outdoor art of Kielder Water & Forest Park, to The Couple at Newbiggin, and now Northumberlandia itself. It helps us draw attention to the fabulous natural environment we have.
For further information about the project, please visit www.northumberlandia.com
A first cut for Northumberlandia (above): (l-r): Harry Banks (chairman of The Banks Group), Matt Ridley (Blagdon Estate) and artist Charles Jencks (front).
