WOODEN DOLLY
'Wooden statues known as dollies have been a feature in North Shields since 1815. There have been seven in all. The first wooden dolly was a ship’s figurehead from a collier brig moved from a shipbuilder’s garden to a position on the Custom House Quay where it stood for 36 years. This was followed by further ships’ figureheads in 1850 and 1864. The fourth wooden dolly was the first to be carved for street decoration in 1902 and the fifth, unveiled in 1958, still takes pride of place today in Northumberland Square. The sixth wooden dolly was sculpted from a single block of oak in 1992 and placed at Custom House Quay outside the Prince of Wales Tavern (also known locally as ‘the Wooden Dolly’). The seventh, made in 1993, stands in a beer garden overlooking the Fish Quay and reflects the image of a local fishwife.' www.thenorthumbrian.co.uk
This illustration of the 1992 dolly was created as accompanying artwork for songwriter Gary Miller's song 'Wooden Dolly', which was originally written for a collective book project but is instead now to be included on his in-process Northern Grit solo album. The image is based on the lyrics of the song, which you can find below.
WOODEN DOLLY
From a collier brig’s prow, no food and no bed
Just unblinking eyes fixed firmly ahead
I coughed and I spluttered in the wake of the spray
Until I was ransomed for a pirate’s pay
Long ago, back in the day
They set me to keep constant watch on the Tyne
Gazing across the North Sea for a sign
And they came from their shielings, their saviour to greet
With their pen knives to slice me like a piece of raw meet
From my scalp, through my flanks to my feet
They took a piece of me here, a piece of me there
A piece from the locks of my long flowing hair
And though my heart was made of wood
I loved them all like a mother should
For they were my flesh and my blood
They were my flesh and my blood
My shoulders gave strength to carry them forth
To safety when storms came in from the north
My bosom was a pillow on which they could rest
My arms were protection against any test
My lips when kissed would be blessed
But there were some who cared not for me
They tortured and raped me, for all to see
They choked me, they groped me, tied my hands and my feet
And like a piece of dry timber, dragged me through the street
Until my ruin was complete
They took a piece of me here, a piece of me there
A piece from the locks of my long flowing hair
And though my heart was made of wood
I loved them all like a mother should
For they were my flesh and my blood
They were my flesh and my blood
Now I am gone, there’s naught left of me
Just a memory drifting on the breeze o’er the sea
But my younger sisters now stand in my stead
Fishwives burdened with baskets but each with a raised head
In tight bonnets and one in a fine dress of bright red
They took a piece of me here, a piece of me there
A piece from the locks of my long flowing hair
Hoping for luck on a voyage to cling
Just a splinter, a sliver, a tiny thing
A handful of fortune to bring
A piece of me here, a piece of me there
A piece from the locks of my long flowing hair
And though my heart was made of wood
I loved them all like a mother should
For they were my flesh and my blood
They were my flesh and my blood
(Gary Miller)
