About the Area
Completed in 1986, Richard Cole's Windy Nook, AKA Pretendy Castle, covering 5,500 square metres, is still one of Europe's largest environmental sculptures.
The work transformed a former colliery slag heap into an ambitious piece of land art and a much-used facility for the Gateshead community.
Enjoyed as a walking and recreation site, visible as a dramatic landmark, and noted for its excellent views, Windy Nook also provides a habitat for birds and wild flowers and an exciting play area for the locality.
The terraced design consists of concentric semicircular stone walls and turfed earthworks descending the hillside and incorporating 2,500 tons of stone recycled from pillars supporting the old Scotswood Bridge.
Richard Cole aimed to achieve a scale in keeping with the elevated hill site and create an organic structure sympathetic to the surroundings. On maturing, the work has integrated naturally with the landscape - so much so that even local people feel it has always been there, and it is often assumed to be an ancient hill-fort rather than a contemporary artwork.
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Getting this EarthCache
To 'find' this EarthCache, please EMAIL me the answers to the following questions. Please DO NOT include your answers in your log, or your log will be deleted. Logs for which I have not received the answers for via email may also be removed if there is insufficient evidence that you have visited the site.
- Describe the look and feel of the stones.
- What type of stone would you guess the 'fort ruins' are made from, given your previous answer
- Do the stones show signs of being weathered? Describe how you know or why you think this.
- Why do you think that this type of stone was good for supporting an old bridge?
- Given your previous two answers, why do you think that the stone was removed from supporting the bridge?
- Describe the view and areas that you can see when standing next to the highest stones.
When emailing your answers, please also let me know if you would like me to send you a copy of the actual answers!
ALSO: Please take a photograph of you and/or your GPSr either at the top of the sculpture or with the sculpture in the background and either include it with your log. This is not a required step, but it helps to verify that you've found it 
While you're there...
While you're there, why not grab a traditional cache. GC2N2X0 - Pretendy Castle, by Bodsworld, is within easy walking distance of this EarthCache 