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Landscape
Celtic Cornwall
Ancient Sites
Where to Go
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Gardens of Cornwall 1: Eden and Heligan
The Eden Project Scaleable Map This massive project to create huge geodesic domes (biomes) housing the plants of the world in a disused china clay pit at Bodelva Quarry, St. Blazey Gate near St.Austell is now open. With the help of over £70 million of Millennium Commission money the Eden Project has become a MAJOR tourist attraction and the concept has gone from strength to strength. Eden welcomed over TWO MILLION visitors in its first year.
Tim Smit's excellent hardback book is available from this site entitled simply Eden. The Lost Gardens of Heligan Scaleable Map Officially the county's most visited garden, prior to the opening of
its near neighbour The Eden
Project. Open every day, except Christmas Day, Heligan Gardens near Mevagissey, lay largely
overgrown and forgotten until the early 1990's. In February 1990, Tim Smit had the vision with a group of like-minded volunteers to restore the gardens to their former glory. A chance meeting between entrepreneur Tim Smit, his business partner John Nelson and a descendant of the original landowners Mr John Willis led them to agree on the necessity of restoring the Gardens. The winter storms of 1990 had ripped through the former seat of the Tremayne family and all but obliterated the gardens from the map and people's consciousness.
How to get there: From St Austell take the road to Mevagissey (B3273) and follow the brown tourist signs to 'The Lost Gardens of Heligan'. Other Cornish Gardens
Hardy Exotics Nursery
Trevena Cross Nurseries |
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