WOODEN DOLLY
Technical pen on paper and Adobe Photoshop.
'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 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 heavily 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) 

You may also like

Back to Top