Spectacular drone footage shows how the vast Lady of the North gets its annual cut

Drone photos reveal the world’s largest land sculpture in the shape of a woman.

Drone photographs and video footage have revealed the world’s largest land sculpture in the shape of a woman.

Known as the “Lady of the North”, the Northumberlandia sculpture stretches for a quarter of a mile and rises more than 100ft.

The reclining figure was built from 1.5 million tonnes of rock and soil left over from the now-defunct Shotton Surface Mine in Northumberland.

Artist Charles Jencks came up with the idea in 2004, and the sculpture was completed in 2010.

The sculpture has been planted with hydro seed to develop into a "living landscape", which changes naturally with the seasons.

Local landscaper Stephen Coatsworth cuts the landform once a year, a job that takes about a week.

He said: "We cut it with a big machine, which takes about three days, then we come in with smaller machines for the steeper areas.

"Up by the face is a really steep area - some of that has to be done with a hedge cutter because it's nearly vertical.

"It takes about a week - but I like to see how much I can get done with the big machine and then work out from there."

Stephen typically has around three to five employees with him to take on the task - which he has been in charge of completing since 2012.

More stunning images:

Northumberlandia ‘Lady of the North, gets her annual trim. // Stunning drone photos show the world's largest land sculpture of the female form. Known as the The Lady of the North forms a striking figure in the landscape when viewed from the air (Image: Katielee Arrowsmith / SWNS)

Northumberlandia ‘Lady of the North, gets her annual trim. // Stunning drone photos show the world's largest land sculpture of the female form. Known as the Seen from above, the Lady of the North stretches across the landscape at the former Shotton Surface Mine (Image: Katielee Arrowsmith / SWNS)

Northumberlandia ‘Lady of the North, gets her annual trim. // Stunning drone photos show the world's largest land sculpture of the female form. Known as the he annual cutting of the Lady of the North takes around a week, with larger and smaller machinery used across the sculpture (Image: Katielee Arrowsmith / SWNS)

Northumberlandia ‘Lady of the North, gets her annual trim. // Stunning drone photos show the world's largest land sculpture of the female form. Known as the Landscaper Stephen Coatsworth at work during the annual cutting of the Lady of the North (Image: Katielee Arrowsmith / SWNS)

Northumberlandia ‘Lady of the North, gets her annual trim. // Stunning drone photos show the world's largest land sculpture of the female form. Known as the Stunning drone photos show the world's largest land sculpture of the female form (Image: Katielee Arrowsmith / SWNS)

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Despite his experience, he admits that using machinery on the steepest sections can still be frightening.

"It can sometimes be a bit scary, but I'm getting used to it now," he said.

"It's a lovely job to be doing - but I'm quite glad to get home safely every night."