World Art Utopia

Fiddler’s Green (The Fisherman)

Black-and-white photo of Ray Lonsdale's Fiddler's Green at the Fish Quay in North Shields: a seated steel fisherman in a flat cap looking out over the water.
Artwork FileNorth Shields, United Kingdom

Fiddler's Green (The Fisherman)

SeenMay 2025

Ray Lonsdale · 2017 · North Shields

Photo: habiloid / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0), 1 June 2022. Resized from the existing SAU image.

Fiddler's Green is Ray Lonsdale's Corten steel statue of a fisherman sitting alone above the River Tyne, a memorial to North Shields fishermen lost at sea. Local volunteers of the North Shields Fishermen's Heritage Project raised £75,000 for it in 18 months, and it was unveiled on the Fish Quay on 24 September 2017. It is named after Fiddler's Green, the mythical place where fishermen go if they don't go to hell. Source Source Source Reported

Seen May 2025 — evidence dated 2025-05-09. Reported in place May 2025. Source Reported

💡 4 things to know

  1. A granddaughter's questionThe BBC says the memorial was the idea of former fisherman Henry Howard, after his granddaughter asked why none existed. Source Reported
  2. Unveiled by a fisherman's partnerThe BBC says it was unveiled by Julie Myhill, whose fisherman partner James Noble died at sea. Source Reported
  3. From an old photographThe heritage project says it is based on a photograph by the late Harry Hann of a fisherman sitting alone with his thoughts, chosen by public vote. Source Reported
  4. Built to lastThe heritage project says the Corten steel has an estimated life span of 150 years. Source Reported

📍 Where it is

Fish Quay, North Shields NE30 1JE, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom. Source Reported

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🗓️ Sightings

  1. 201725 Sep

    Unveiled on the Fish Quay · BBC

  2. 202121 Apr

    How the memorial was made · Chronicle Live

  3. 20221 Jun

    The fisherman on the Fish Quay

  4. 202425 Jul

    Parade between the statues proposed for North Shields 800 · Chronicle Live

  5. 20259 May

    NS800 Blessing of the Fleet procession to start from the statue · I Love North Shields

Green stamps mark dated photographs; amber stamps mark records or reports; red stamps mark loss. Publication dates are not camera dates.

🗞️ In the sources

BBC News25 September 2017

North Shields memorial unveiled to fishermen lost at sea

“The £75,000 sculpture was created by former Durham steelworker Ray Lonsdale, whose works have featured North East working and military life.”

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✅ The facts

Artist
Ray Lonsdale Source Checked
Unveiled
24 September 2017 Source Checked
Material
Corten steel Source Checked
Height
10 ft 6 in (3.2 m) Source Reported
Weight
Over 2 tonnes Source Reported
Cost
£75,000, raised in 18 months Source Checked
Source photo year
1959 (BBC), 1960 (NSFHP) or 1961 (Chronicle Live) Source Source Source Conflicting
Plaque
A poem about Fiddler's Green on the base Source Reported

🔗 Related

All sources & image credits

Last checked: 29 October 2026. How we verify art