Pandemic commemoration design consultation

We are planning a way that North Tyneside can remember and think about the impact of the pandemic which will not only enable communities to reflect on their shared experiences and commemorate loss but also recognise how lives changed and the impact this had on us all.

We would like your views on the design for lasting physical memorial areas for contemplation and reflection in each of the four parts of the borough, in areas linked to the wagonways. The arterial wagonway routes across the borough link to Silverlink Biodiversity Park, near the sundial, and so a central memorial area for contemplation is planned there, too.

The wagonways were chosen because they were so well used during lockdown to help maintain residents’ health and wellbeing, and we’d like to continue to encourage people to use them for healthy activities whilst providing resting places for quiet contemplation.

Our plan is to base the physical memorial areas around the theme of a compass detailed in decorative, hard-landscaped paving with seating.  The word compass combines two Latin words – ‘com’ which means together and ‘passus’ which means pace or step. Together they mean ‘journey together’ which is something that we’ve done in North Tyneside throughout the pandemic.

We’d like your views on the design of the middle of the compass in the four areas of the borough. We intend to feature artwork in the centre of the compass with a theme that has connection to the local area.

The locations and suggestions for the middle of the compass include:

• Killingworth Lakeside Park in the North West – Mining or George Stephenson locomotive
• Churchill Playing Fields in the North East – Dome or Lighthouse
• Wallsend Hall Grounds in the South West – Shipbuilding or Segedunum
• Redburn Dene Park in the South East – Fishing or Priory

The fifth area of contemplation, at Silverlink Biodiversity Park, will feature a sun in the middle of the compass. 

The designs are in the booklet below

Please take part in the short survey below.