Genevieve Glatt and Teessaurus Park

Genevieve was born in France in 1936, with her and her family living mainly in Paris during the Second World War. When she was 17 she moved to England and became a nurse. In the 1960s she settled in Sunderland, where she met and married a doctor named David Glatt. Genevieve retired from nursing when she gave birth to her first child, Ian, and became a full-time housewife.

In the 1970s Genevieve had her first taste of design work when she, her husband, and their children moved into their new home which needed some work. She took a woodworking course to learn how to design and build a new kitchen, which was such a success that she went on to take a diploma in Interior Design at Teesside Polytechnic. Genevieve graduated in 1977 when she was 41.

While undertaking her diploma Genevieve found out about the ‘Art in Landscape’ competition. She visited the Ironmasters District to get some ideas for her proposal. In the wide-open space, surrounded by the remains of the area’s industrial heritage and the Transporter Bridge in the distance, she was struck with inspiration – the area needed steel sculptures of dinosaurs.

Having won the competition, Genevieve worked with the local council to design her dinosaurs, settling on a Triceratops and its two babies as the first additions to the park. The Triceratops, named Teessaurus, was built by Harts of Stockton, with it being transported to the new park in February 1979. Teessaurus was driven to its new home on a flatbed truck with a speech-bubble sign that read – ‘See you at Riverside Park’. Its two babies were installed soon after. Eight years later more dinosaurs were added to the Park, including a stegosaurus, a brontosaurus and a T-Rex.

Meanwhile, Genevieve decided to take a new direction in her creative endeavours. She applied for a degree in Applied Contemporary Crafts and found a passion for weaving. It was a big step away from a public project like Teessaurus Park and into smaller community crafting that she could dedicate her creativity to.

After completing her degree in the 1980s Genevieve joined the Durham Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers, and made all sorts of woven creations, including a crochet teapot, a woven chess set and working with the Guild to make a large tapestry for Durham Cathedral. She stayed with the Guild well into the 2010s, her weaving and crocheting inspired by different things from Celtic design to nature.

Teessaurus Park has become a staple of our area, from it’s very first opening to today. It stands out as an example of how one woman’s vision for an area transforms it from once a place of steel-making to a family-friendly play park echoing these businesses.