Despite living less than ten miles away from the Angel of the North ever since it appeared in 1998, I had never actually taken the time to go and see it up close. I’d passed it countless times in cars, admired it from a distance and absent-mindedly accepted it as part of the local landscape. It became one of those many things that were on my doorstep that I was happy to claim as my own when it suited me, but I never bothered to experience first-hand. So, when I got the opportunity to visit it this week I jumped at the chance.

It is impressive up close, particularly the wing span which almost seems to defy the physical possibilities of the structure. It stands resolute, with a real sense of immovable permanence. The Angel’s sheer scale takes it out of the human world, yet it remains almost defensive, protective, reassuring. For all the people scampering around its feet – there were probably about thirty others visiting at the time – and the scrawls of graffiti on the reachable parts (thankfully Sharpie-based, not spray-can) it conveyed a dignified, proud presence.

I remember something of an outcry back when the Angel was announced, mainly around the £800,000 cost in relation to other, more ‘useful’ causes that the money could be directed at. There were also concerns about the rusty-looking brown finish and sheer scale of the structure, both of which it was claimed would spoil the aesthetics of the area. Well, as dear to me as this place is, I can confidently say that very little could spoil the aesthetics, and the Angel certainly doesn’t. It creates a focal point, perfectly positioned in the landscape.

According to the artist Antony Gormley’s explanation of the Angel, it represents quite a few different things, including the coal mining history of the immediate area, a symbol of hope and the shift to the digital age amongst others. I like how Gormley defines the stylistic imagining of an angel, inarguably stating that ‘no-one has ever seen one before’, neatly side-stepping any criticism of ignoring the classical angelic representation in art.

Like most modern art I think the Angel has a subjective meaning, and that’s the best way for it to exist. It neither forces nor excludes any viewpoints. It is what the viewer wants it to be, and that’s the most rewarding thing that the Angel could ever achieve.

Long may it continue.