The Elizabeth Landmark will be a contemporary landmark and cultural destination at Cold Law in Northumberland, celebrating Queen Elizabeth II, her services to the country and her lifelong dedication to The Commonwealth.

Set among 60 hectares of wild Northumbrian landscape, gifted to the project by local patron Viscount Devonport, The Elizabeth Landmark is a striking and awe-inspiring sculpture designed by artist Simon Hitchens.

Hitchens’ sculpture is in response to an artist brief which required the landmark to:

• be robust and long-lasting within the wild Northumbrian landscape.

• achieve the same topographical height as nearby Hepple Heugh and the Queen Victoria Cairn.

• use materials which echo the history of the site, such as iron ore, minerals or stone.

• relate to the local heritage of the innovative industrialists Lord Armstrong and Charles Parsons.

• be an accessible, educational and inspiring destination.

• include a seating and viewing area.

• include elements of poetry and interpretation and work with poets and writers from across The Commonwealth.

The landmark will stand at 55m and has been specifically designed to be sited in this exact location on Cold Law, complementing the topographical height of nearby Hepple Heugh and the Queen Victoria Cairn.

The landmark will be made of Corten weathering steel, giving a rich burnished finish, complementing the shapes and colours of the landscape and ensuring a graceful appearance from any approach.

The Elizabeth Landmark is heavily informed by the ancient history and industrial heritage of the location.

The inspiration for the aesthetic is taken from Sir Charles Parson’s turbine blade, and inspiration for the material weathering steel influenced by Lord Armstrong, who established his first ironworks adjacent to the site in the 1800s.

The ‘sundial’ aspect of the landmark echoes archaeological stone artefacts found near the site thought to be constructed in the Bronze Age as astronomical markers of the Winter Solstice.

The Elizabeth Landmark brings together the multiple elements of heritage, collaboration, unity and celebration in a unique Northumberland location.