Heartbreak as North Shields wooden figurine vandalised

The repair will likely take months, North Tyneside Council said

A council says it is "heartbroken" after a wooden figurine was "badly vandalised".

North Tyneside Council said it would "likely take a few months" to repair the Wooden Dolly in North Shields' Northumberland Square after its nose was hacked off.

The damage was "extremely disappointing" as the figure had undergone restoration works in 2020, the council added.

Wooden dollies are a town tradition.

The first was a ship's figurehead placed at the entrance to Customs House Quay in 1814.

It became traditional for mariners to shave pieces of wood from the figure as good luck charms before going to sea and a replacement doll was made each time the previous version was defaced beyond recognition.

The Wooden Dolly was made form mahogany in 1958

The Northumberland Square dolly is the fifth of its kind and depicts a fishwife carrying a basket, the council said.

It was made from mahogany in 1958 by Robert Thompson, a carpenter based in Kilburn, North Yorkshire, known as Mouseman thanks to the carved mouse he included in his his creations.

A council spokesman said: "We are heartbroken to announce that the famous North Shields Wooden Dolly in Northumberland Square has been badly vandalised.

"This is not an easy fix and will require removal for repair and will likely take a few months.

"This is extremely disappointing following the recent restoration works she has undergone as part of the investment we are putting into North Shields.

"We are working with our community protection partners to ensure that incidents of this nature do not happen again."