Man Engine crew to build ‘largest labyrinth in the world’ in Cornwall

It will last for 4,000 years

What the labyrinth will look like

The team behind the world-famous Man Engine is aiming for another awe-inspiring spectacle in Cornwall.

Will Coleman, the Cornishman behind the famous Man Engine, is now creating the world's largest labyrinth on Bodmin Moor - which he claims will last for 4,000 years as a piece of public art.

Will and his team are calling for support from the Cornish community and beyond, for the permanent, living monument to Cornwall’s world-class landscape, located by Colliford Lake on Bodmin Moor.

Built of traditional Cornish hedging with a 56m diameter, Kerdroya the Cornish Landscape Labyrinth will be a major new piece of public art to last for generations to come.

Visitors will have a fully immersive experience as they walk a single, meandering path through stretches of artisan stonework celebrating the aesthetics of distinct hedging styles from all 12 Cornwall Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) sections.

The team are looking for local, national and international sponsorship for the project with everything from corporate sponsorship to the community led ‘Hedge Pledge’.

As part of the ‘Hedge Pledge’, people are being offered the chance to own their own stretch of this monumental chunk of art, for just £220.

Will said: “We’re asking One and All to join us to create Kerdroya, a living testament to culture, habitat and skill.

“Not only will you support the building of the hedge, your money will make a difference to 62 apprentice hedgers, tens of thousands of species of insects and pollinators, plus 600 types of flowering plants – it’s a deep investment in Cornwall’s future!"

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Embedded on each yard of hedge will be a ‘Marker Disk’ made by Colliford local father and son duo, the Thrussells, so that their message to the future stays for hundreds of years to come – a permanent family heirloom.

Corporate sponsorship packages start with a ‘Bench Mark’, which provides visitors a place to contemplate their surroundings, and continue up to a headline sponsorship package for ‘The Heart of Kerdroya’, which will fund the 10m diameter circular space which will sit at the core of the monument.

Once finished, hand-held devices will bridge the digital and real-world, linking the 12 far-flung landscape locations with sections of the labyrinth, and at its heart a 10m circular space will open out to breath-taking views across the moorland and lake.

A newly commissioned art installation, deepening and augmenting the response to the Cornish landscape, will complete the experience.

At the helm of the project is Golden Tree Productions, the team responsible for masterminding the Man Engine, a giant mechanical puppet that personified Cornish mining heritage and drew thousands of spectators as he toured through the Cornish Mining Landscape in 2016.

Working in collaboration with Cornwall Council, the Cornwall AONB and other partners, Golden Tree Productions is bringing schools, community groups and master hedgers together to restore stretches of Cornish hedge and pass on the ancient craft of hedging to the next generation.

As part of this training, the project also plays host to 62 apprentice Cornish hedgers who will be part of the skilled team constructing the labyrinth.

Kerdroya Cornish Landscape Labyrinth will open in November with construction work starting in April. It is being part-funded by investment from Cornwall AONB, Arts Council England, the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Cornwall Council.

The website to sponsor a yard of Kerdroya, (hedgepledge.co.uk) will open on March 2, in the meantime, to register interest in the ‘Hedge Pledge’ or for more information on the corporate sponsorship opportunities available, email: kerdroya@wildwestcomms.co.uk