The Eden Project

Wednesday was earmarked for a trip to the Eden Project - amazing to see the changes since last here. I believe there were just the two main Biomes.

People were pouring in when we arrived on a beautiful sunny day. We wandered around many of the educational areas which kept Izobelle (and the rest of us) thoroughly amused. It really is well laid out and caters for all ages with its displays. Took a few images of the area to try and convey the size of the place.

History: 

The clay pit in which the project is sited was in use for over 160 years. In 1981, the pit was used by the BBC as the planet surface of Magrathea in the 1981 TV series of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. By the mid-1990s the pit was all but exhausted.

The initial idea for the project dates back to 1996, with construction beginning in 1998. The work was hampered by torrential rain in the first few months of the project, and parts of the pit flooded as it sits 15 m (49 ft) below the water table. 

The first part of the Eden Project, the visitor centre, opened to the public in May 2000. The first plants began arriving in September of that year, and the full site opened on 17 March 2001. 

As you can see there are more than 2 Biome now!

Air - a part of the Invisible Worlds Exhibition

In the ceiling of one of the exhibits - not sure which one!

Air - birds flying

Part of the Invisible Worlds Exhibition - Infinity Blue

"Our huge ceramic ‘breathing’ sculpture pays homage to one of the world’s smallest but most important organisms: the cyanobacteria. Artist duo Studio Swine wanted to build a monument to these vital but invisible unsung heroes, in the same way as notable people are commemorated with statues. 

Three billion years ago the cyanobacteria started to produce oxygen – which changed the face of the Earth forever. Today they, and their distant descendants found in plants and phytoplankton, provide the oxygen in every breath we take. Without them we would not be here.

At over eight metres tall, Infinity Blue is one of the world’s largest ceramic sculptures. Come and see if you can catch one of its vapour rings!"

At least I captured an image of one!

The Humid Tropics Biome at Eden is the largest conservatory in the world and allows the tropical rainforest trees it contains to reach their full potential. It has been described by the team at Eden as 'a steamy supermarket'.

It contains carefully selected tropical plants from botanical gardens and nurseries all over the world. The air is kept between 18C and 35C. This provides a range of environments that suit the tropical plants. The automatic misters and stunning waterfall keep the air moist.

It contains the crops and lush rainforest sights of the tropical world, from the Oceanic Island to Malaysia. The biome offers a taste of life of a place far away.

Had a coffee and the visited the Tropical Biosphere - right to the very hot tropical top! Saw many strange but interesting plants and crossed the wobbly bridge, much to Izobells delight.

An huge array of plant life and flowers. A walk of the swing bridge and a view of the waterfall. Izobelle loved it, but like the rest of us, was glad to descend to cooler levels at the end.

We spent time watching the waterfall in the tropical Biome. This waterfall cuts a path down from the very top of the rainforest Biome. The waterfall is fed by rain water that falls on the Biomes. And so to lunch. We had a very Mediterranean Platter and thoroughly enjoyed it.

.... as did the little fellow clearing up the scraps on the next table.

Another rather large bird passes by while we were eating.

Another wander around part of the outside while the family took to the Ice Rink.

The large Bee ...

.... and a giant man pulling a rope - statues in the gardens.

The dome housing the stage where music acts and others can perform.

Story time - told in the peaceful surroundings of the Citrus Grove inside the Mediterranean Biome. What a great idea

One has to finish off the day with a facepaint! I was excused thankfully.

 Index of posts

The Lost Gardens of Heligan

Tuesday was a trip to the Lost Gardens of Heligan which was the family seat of the Tremaynes for over 400 years. By the early 20th century the house fell into neglect and the gardens were allowed to become overgrown. 

The Tremayne family purchased the Heligan estate from the Hill family in the 16th century and built a new manor house here in 1603. The house was rebuilt in 1692 in William and Mary style. The superb gardens surrounding the house were begun by Rev. Henry Hawkins Tremayne in the late 18th century. Rev. Tremayne called in Thomas Gray to create a garden plan around 1780, and this plan helped the eventual restoration work. Tremayne planted trees to screen the site and laid out the northern gardens and rose garden. 

The Burmese Rope Bridge across 'The Jungle' 

Later generations of the family added a wild area known as The Jungle, with subtropical plants including giant tree ferns, overlooking the fishing port at Mevagissey below. 

The last resident Tremayne was Jack, who built the Italian garden, but then relocated to Italy itself, and leased the house. Heligan was used as an army base in WWII, and the house was later converted into flats and sold. 

While the house was undergoing all these changes and the estate lacked a resident owner, the gardens were neglected and quite literally became overgrown and 'lost'. For over 70 years the gardens slumbered on and were covered by an overgrowth of brambles, weeds and dense foliage. 

In the 1990s a group of garden enthusiasts joined together to restore the gardens, a process that was featured on a 1996 TV series and became the largest garden restoration in Europe. The gardens were fully restored to their early 20th-century glory and opened as a visitor attraction. 

It is obviously a very large area to cover (80 acres) and we were probably going at the wrong time off year - also at half term! However, there were things to do and see in the barnes for the children and us adults explored some of the gardens. 

This sculpture was created by Artist Sue Hill and her brother Pete Hill. The giant looks alive…the shape of his eye sockets and eye balls are so compelling. His sculpted ear and nose are somewhat exaggerated and humorous and integrate so well with the plants of his hair and skin. 

The Giant’s head was created out of a fallen tree with a huge root ball. Again, mud was plastered onto the tree root to create the face. Finally twigs were scattered through and stuck on the top of the head. 

The British Lop pig is an endangered British breed of pig, with less than 200 breeding sows left. Halegan is proud to breed these impressive pigs and looks to raise awareness of their endangered status. The Lops are easily recognisable, they are the pink piggys with the floppy ears that hang in front of their eyes, it’s a wonder how they see anything?! 

Have tree, must climb! 

A few Honey Fungus spotted on a fallen tree

This attracted me with its sprawling branches going in all directions 

In one of the barns there were activities for the youngsters to take part in. Izobelle wanted to do some of them so we joined the throng! What attracted our attention was the man displaying various creates not normally seen in the Uk including this Tarantula and allowing those brave enough to actually hold one. This picture is of Rosey holding it - very brave I would say!

 Index of posts

Padstow and fish & chips!

Monday started early with Izobelle and I going in search of a church micro Geocache, then off to Padstow for the day. We found the Cache, much to her delight! A cold but bright day and a promise of no rain- sounded good to us all as we headed out, driven by Andrew. We arrived in Padstow to find and plenty of people there, but not too crowded, and considering it was half term.

Having had a wander and look in a few shops,Rosey and I then went for a wander toward the war memorial, out of the main town and to where there was access to beautiful beaches and fantastic scenery.

Looking toward Rock from Padstow 

The WW1 War Memorial

Wandered back and met the family and made our way to Rick Stein fish and chip. beautiful fish with great, and not too thick, batter. Had to queue for ages to get in! 

Busker on the harbour wall. 

I was not sure of the function of this vessel!

All together a great day out in Padstow, I can see why people are so in love with the place.

 Index of posts

The start of our week in Cornwall

Today was the start of our holiday week in Cornwall with Hayley, Andrew and Izobelle. They invited us to share a week with them based in the Cornish town of Lostwithiel, and we were looking forward to our week away with them.

We started our journey on the Friday, and decided to go clockwise around the M25, onto the M3 and then follow the A303 - stopping at Wincanton for the night. Andrew and Hayley were later starting and they went on to Honiton. We made contact on saturday morning and decided to meet on the Cornish coast at lunchtime, at Charlestown, as we could not get into our accommodation in Lostwithiel until 4pm.

Located about a mile outside the town of St Austell, Charlestown, is an amazingly pristine, unspoiled example of a late Georgian working port. It was constructed between 1791 and 1801 by Charles Rashleigh, entrepreneur and member of the local landowning family, in response to the growth of the growth of the local mining industry. Originally built to export copper and import coal, it was soon being used for the export of China Clay. It is from its creator that the the port gets its name.

Charlestown was formerly known as West Polmear with a population of 9 and a small fishing fleet that used the beach as a harbour. The project began with the construction of the pier to provide shelter for the fishing fleet and then the creation of a basin, cut out of the bedrock to allow the sailing ships in. The roads were widened and paved to allow for the wagons, which carried the cargo to and from the harbour.

The Matthew, a replica of John Cabot's boat, built for the Bristol '96 sea festival, was in Charlestown in July 1996 where filming was taking place for a BBC programme about his epic voyage 500 years ago.

Many films have used Charlestown as a set. These include Poldark Series 1 & 2, Swept From The Sea (1996), Mansfield Park (1998), Man to Man (2004), Treasure Island (2007), Alice in Wonderland, Dr Who (2011), The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box (2012) This is a really pretty place and a great way to spend an hour or two. 

Having had lunch we then set off to Lostwithiel to see where we were to spend our week - Impressive!

A couple of views of our holiday let. To quote a local agent "Boseglos house is a grade II listed landmark property in the heart of Lostwithiel adjacent to St Bartholomew’s church - Bos Eglos (Cornish for 'Home by the Church') This landmark property was originally a mid eighteenth century cottage which was enlarged and altered then with a later nineteenth century Gothic addition The property boasts many original features including Gothic windows and various magnificent open fireplaces"

It was a great place overall, although there were one or two niggles which should have been sorted prior to our stay.

Sunday A walking morning around the town to get our bearings. I love these narrow streets, although they are not so good to drive on I would imagine. Soon a park was spotted and became the next destination.

The Medieval Bridge stands at the site of the original crossing of the River Fowey. The river was first bridged by the Normans. The bridge was rebuilt in the 13th-14th centuries and has been repaired and kept in use ever since.

It has been the scene of many notable and emotional occasions, including the arrival of the Black Prince and his retinue to hold Court at Restormel Castle in 1354, and the dispatch of the defeated Parliamentary army by the angry citizens in 1644.

The foundations of four western arches are buried under North Street. The eastern arches were added as the river changed course.

The Duchy Palace originally reached along the quay as far as the cobbled archway at the end of South Street. All Cornish affairs and the tin industry were controlled from here, including the Courts, Treasury, Maritime offices, the Stannary Parliament, smelting, coinage and assaying of tin and the stannary prison.

The complex was badly damaged by Parliamentary soldiers during the Siege of Lostwithiel in 1644. The Convocation Hall at the corner of Quay Street is the best preserved part of the complex and carries the emblem of the Black Prince (the first Duke of Cornwall) at the apex of the northern gable.

Today the Duchy Palace is owned by the Prince's Regeneration Trust who undertook significant conservation and renovation to the building. To quote the Prince: "We bought Old Duchy Palace, a Grade I listed 700-year-old building, in 2009 to save it from dereliction. We have worked with the Cornwall Buildings Preservation Trust (CBPT) to restore and regenerate it, and CBPT is now running the building, having taken it on a long lease.

The Palace was built by Edmund Earl of Cornwall in 1292. In 1337, the Black Prince became the first Duke of Cornwall and made this Palace his administrative centre. From here the Duchy was managed and developed a strong association with the tin mining industry."

In the afternoon we decided to visit Fowey, where the River Fowey meets the sea. Another pretty Cornish town with beautiful views of the estuary from many parts of the town. The downside being the very steep hill between the carparks and the sea front - this taxed us all on the way back!

What peaceful views - we were to return here later in the week.

Cannot remember where in Fowey I took this but I love it!

The `Rook With The Book` on Fowey river front 

This sculpture is the first piece of public artwork to celebrate the works of Daphne du Maurier, (one of my favourite authors) and was inspired by du Maurier's 1952 short story 'The Birds'. The sculpture marked the launch of the Fowey Festival of Arts and Literature 2018 programme. The sculpture was the idea of Fowey business Mike Redmond and it was made by father and son team, the sculptors Gary and Thomas Thrussell. 

In a county built on history and legends, it is hardly surprising that Daphne du Maurier fell in love with it. The landscape is woven throughout her novels and rich descriptions of the sea and Cornish places add depth to her prose. 

The du Maurier family took holidays in Fowey at Ferryside, Boddinick and Daphne would stay at a little cottage opposite called ‘The Nook’ to continue her writing once the rest of the family returned to London. On remote walks she would discover Menabilly, at Gribben Head, and fell in love with the dilapidated house. Owned by the Rashleigh family, it would be 17 years until she could call it home. 

Now set amongst National Trust land, Menabilly was remote and gave du Maurier the solace she craved. It became her family home for 25 years and she would write from a little hut in the garden. Menabilly doubles as Rebecca’s ‘Manderley’. 

Although born and raised in London in privileged circumstances and to a family of actors and artists, Daphne du Maurier will forever be associated with Cornwall. Cornwall fed her soul and gave her the freedom to follow her passion for writing which in turn gave her the independence she held dear. 

At the peak of her fame, when ‘My Cousin Rachel’ was published, du Maurier was Britain’s highest paid woman writer. However, she also valued her independence and quiet time, preferring a reclusive lifestyle in order to produce her writing - What better place than Cornwall? 

 Index of posts

Marks Hall Gardens and Arboretum

In 1163 the manor house and estate of Markshall were granted to the Markshall family after being confiscated from Hugh de Essex. They descended in the Markshall family until the estate was sold to John Cole, who renovated parts of the house. It was then sold to Edward Deraugh in 1581. In 1605 Robert Honywood purchased Marks Hall from Deraugh's grandson, William, pulled down part of the old timber framed house and built a new brick building in 1609. 

The estate then descended in the Honywood family to John Lamotte Honywood who, dying childless in 1694, left it to his cousin Robert. Robert, the MP for Essex, modernised the house and died in 1735. Several generations later it passed to Philip Honywood and then via his cousin, Filmer Honywood, the MP for Kent to Frances Emma, who died unmarried at Marks Hall in 1895. 

Thomas Phillips Price (1844-1932), a Welsh landowner, mine owner, and Liberal politician, purchased Marks Hall, then a mansion and deer park, at auction in 1898. He made provision in his Will to leave the Marks Hall estate to the nation in the interest of agriculture, arboriculture and forestry. During the Second World War, Earls Colne Airfield was built on the edge of the deer park and much of the property requisitioned for used as the headquarters for a number of local airfields. The 97th Bombardment Wing headquarters was initially located at the manor. By 1949, the mansion was neglected and said to be in a dangerous state, and was demolished in 1950.

The Marks Hall Estate is now the site of gardens and an arboretum, and this was our first visit, primarily to see the (hopefully) autumn colours.

View across the first lake we came to. Legend has it that these lakes were dug by Cromwell's men during the siege of Colchester 1648. Today they are well stocked with coarse fish which were swimming just below the surface, expecting food I guess.

One of our first `finds` was this little fellow, watching us from above 

A different view along the walled garden side of the lake.

The beautiful Edith Holden rose. 

We were surprised by the number of Greylag geese in the garden 

Vivid red leaves at the base of a tree 

Looking back down the first lake 

Some images in the walled garden. Probable my favourite area. 

A few fungi about, but actually not many about as I would expect. The ones I have seen elsewhere, were rather early I thought.

More Greylag geese 

Eucalyptus in Gondwanaland - This was the ancient super continent that formed the evolutionary cradle for the vegetation of South America, the Indian Subcontinents and Australasia. 

At Marks Hall they have developed the area of Gondwanaland for Southern Hemisphere species. It is situated in an area that was devastated by the 1987 hurricane. It is an undulating landscape of low mounds, which are sheltered on the western edge by the planting of Nothofagus (southern beech). Since the start of development in 1999, 200 Eucalyptus trees have been planted and on warm days the oil aroma provides a heady scent. 

The Marks Hall Estate is home to some fine veteran trees. One tree, the Honeywood Oak is around 700-years-old, making it the oldest on the estate. Having stood on the estate for so many years, it has, in its time seen numerous monarchs, wars and increases in population. 

The tree is not just important historically, but also for wildlife. The damaged areas have become home to countless creatures, where it almost acts as another world for them. Some creatures live in the tree and never have to go anywhere else. 

One side of this veteran tree looks like dead wood, but the tree is still sending out new branches all the time. The tree is managing its decline by producing areas of dead wood, dropping branches over the years and rotting back. The tree wants a much smaller canopy and with the help of the Marks Hall estate they can help the tree achieve this, by keeping the canopy back and encouraging healthy young shoots to produce. 

Near to the cafe there is an iron bridge which initially I missed. However, it seems it was built at the turn of the 19th century by Sir Filmar Honeywood who carried out a lot of work in the gardens. It was restored in 1992 and new cast iron work was produced by a local foundry to replace some missing parts. 

A great place to visit and different times of the year will no doubt give a completely different perspective - such as snowdrops etc in spring. We will return. 

 Index of posts