Northumberlandia

Home to the stunning ‘Lady of the North,’ a living piece of the Northumberland countryside

At the heart of Northumberlandia lies the ‘Lady of the North, a striking 100ft high human landform sculpture that spans a quarter of a mile. Conceived in 2004 by renowned artist Charles Jencks, this project aimed to transform an extra piece of land into a new public space, privately funded by Blagdon Estate. It involved moving 1.5 million tonnes of soil and rock from the adjacent Shotton mine and was completed in 2010, when the sculpture was then planted with hydro seed to develop into a living landscape.  

The park has since matured naturally, changing with the seasons. Though the mine closed in 2020, Northumberlandia continues to draw visitors eager to experience this unique blend of art and nature. 

Visitor information

Opening hours

Open access

Toilets

In visitor centre

Cafe

Open Weds – Sun, 10am - 3pm

Accessibility

The approach from the car park into the public park to view the sculpture at ground level is fully accessible. A flat gravel footpath provides a 1mile route around the landform so that the sculpture can be enjoyed from a wide variety of angles. However when the site is not staffed you may require a Radar key to gain access by wheelchair through the kissing gate at the entrance. Please note that a Radar key can be used to open the kissing gate like a conventional gate enabling most wheelchairs to get into the site. We regret that we cannot leave the site open due to the risk of motorbike access when the site is not staffed.

Footpaths

Maintained footpaths

Dogs

Dogs on lead allowed

Managed in partnership with

Northumberland Wildlife Trust

How to get there

Address

Northumberlandia

Blagdon Lane,
Cramlington,
Northumberland,
NE13 6DG

The idea for Northumberlandia was first conceived in 2004 as a ‘restoration first’ project – taking an extra piece of land donated by the landowner, Blagdon Estate, providing a new landscape for the community to enjoy, privately funded by the estate, while the nearby mine was still operational. 

Internationally renowned artist, Charles Jencks, was commissioned to complete the £3 million project, and work began in 2010. 1.5 million tonnes of carefully selected rock, clay and soil from the adjacent Shotton surface mine to a neighbouring part of the estate to form Northumberlandia.  

Once the major landscape works were complete the sculpture was blasted with ‘hydro seed’ which started to transform the sculpture into a living landscape. Her face, paths and viewing platforms were constructed with a hard stone surface with every feature surveyed and checked against carefully designed plans. Rather than becoming a highly manicured landscape, the park and sculpture has been allowed to develop naturally with minimal interference, changing with the seasons and maturing over many generations. 

The mine closed in 2020, but Northumberlandia continues to attract visitors from all over the country.