Earlier this month a friend and I drove down to Cornwall in the SW of the country. One of the main reasons for the visit was to see the Eden Project. I had heard much about it but had yet to see it for myself. The Project is sited in a disused clay pit. By the middle of the 1990s there was not enough clay remaining to make it a viable quarry so it was the perfect site for building the two giant domes that would house thousands of plants from around the world. There are two biomes (eco domes), one being Tropical and the other Mediterranean.
The tropical biome covers 3.9 acres and is 55m high, 100m wide and 200m long. It has giant bamboo, rubber, coffee and fruiting banana plants.
There is a walkway going across the top part of the dome where they have created a cloud forest. cloud forest
.
Roul roul birds ran in and out of the undergrowth. Many insects and lizards have been introduced into the environment to control some of the pests.
We left the Tropical Biome and went to have a look at the Mediterranean Biome. This dome is smaller but still covers 1.6 acres and measures 35m high, 65m wide and 135m long.
I didn't find this dome as interesting as the other one.
Examples of fruit and vegetables are grown within the dome including these black tomatoes. The difference only seems to be in the colour and not the flavour.
The two biomes are surrounded by other garden areas. Sadly it had started pouring with rain but undeterred we walked up and down through the different areas.determined to see all that was on display.
'Eve' amongst the greenery.
A very soggy end to the day!
.
That's an interesting reuse of a quarry. Is the plan to save plants that may disappear with global warming?
ReplyDeleteEve looks a little distressed and I can’t blame her since humans have caused some serious damage to the environment. The Eden Project is wonderful and strange not to know about it before. It gives a lot of hope amid destructive actions to know some preserve, grow and protect.
ReplyDeleteFascinating! Wonderful shots.
ReplyDeleteWonderful to see these domes. It must be quite an experience to walk into another world like that. :-)
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful way to reclaim over used land. Truly an Eden. Those Roul birds were quite attractive and I am curious about the taste of the black tomatoes.
ReplyDeleteI thought the tropical one might be more interesting, but the outside gardens look nice too. It's a very impressive project and it was also interesting to see how it is funded.
ReplyDeleteI loved the two dome idea, but I cannot see from the photos if Adam was at home or if Eve had to run it all alone.
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame the weather was so miserable. Never seen black tomatoes before.
ReplyDeleteI would enjoy visiting these domes and seeing the plants.
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of this. Very cool!!
ReplyDeleteHello, what a wonderful place to visit. The domes, flowers and plants are lovely. The waterfalls looks beautiful. Thanks for sharing your visit. Enjoy your day, wishing you a great week ahead.
ReplyDeleteMakes me think of the Biosphere in Oracle, Arizona, because of the dome. And it makes me think of the Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC, because they were created in an old quarry. - Margy
ReplyDeleteFrom a mud pit to a beautiful garden of plants - we need more of that!
ReplyDeleteThere's talk of building one here close to Morecambe Bay SSSI, a site of international importance. Seems someone stands to make a million instead of utilising our natural resources.
ReplyDeleteMy sister and I made plans to visit England and soon realised that we needed at least three seperate trips to incorporate everything. This one is definitely on the list to see during our trip to the South. Together with Monkey World (my sister's pick) and several other things yet to be determined!
ReplyDeleteAmazing and certainly worth the drive!
ReplyDeleteI have seen this when I was in Cornwall but only from far and we had wondered what it was because it looked like huge baloons from far. It's beautiful beautiful inside !
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing thing to see. I will have to put this on my list of places to visit the next time I make a trip to England. Your photos are wonderful.
ReplyDeleteIt would be great to visit in winter when things are brown and colorless outdoors. What a wonderful use of the depleted clay mine.
ReplyDeleteEddie and I keep talking about visiting the Eden Project!
ReplyDeleteWe haven't yet - perhaps next year we may …
I enjoyed your post and seeing your photographs.
Shame about the soggy end to the day!
All the best Jan