Mary Ann Macham: Sculpture of enslaved woman who escaped to North Shields takes shape

Created by artist Keith Barrett, Mary Ann has been carved from wood and is about to be cast in bronze ahead of her installation at the top of the town’s spectacular Riverside Embankment Walkway later this year, as part of the North Shields 800 celebrations.

The artwork represents Mary Ann’s moment of freedom as she arrived in North Shields on Christmas Day 1831. She fled a lifetime of abuse at a plantation in Virginia, USA, evading a search team with blood hounds before stowing away aboard a ship.

She settled in North Shields, where she married and lived into her 90s. She was supported by the Spence family, well-known Quakers who pushed for the abolition of slavery.

Artist Keith Barrett said: “I have committed to try and represent Mary Ann as she may have been, at the moment of her arrival in North Shields. I want to represent her power and her bravery, and the fact that she came from a place of suffering and pain. Her arrival in North Shields on Christmas Day 1831 represents a moment of freedom and finding a better life.

“We only have one image of Mary Ann, in black and white and taken later in life, I wanted to be faithful to her portrait, but to animate her and make her appear as she may have been at the age of 29 when she arrived here.

He added: “I wanted the sculpture to bring us close to her, to her deep pain and her moment of salvation.”

Cllr Carl Johnson, Deputy Mayor for North Tyneside and cabinet member responsible for Regeneration, Culture and Economic Development said: “We are proud to be installing this important public artwork at the top of the bank, looking over the river and out to sea.

“North Shields has a rich and diverse history. The statue of Mary Ann, with her incredible tale of resilience, strength and courage, will be unveiled to coincide with our North Shields 800 anniversary celebrations, as we take pride in the past, present and future of the town and its people.”