The last stone has been laid at Kerdroya and the construction work at this fantastic monument to Cornish hedging complete. Many people I know have already visited this labyrinth which is approaching 800 metres long, made of Cornish stone hedging. At 56 metres wide it is the largest stone labyrinth in the world and is a testament to the skills in stone hedging here in Cornwall. Hedges have been built in Cornwall since early times with some still existing dating back about 4,000 years to the late Neolithic period as it transitioned into the early Bronze Age. The Neolithic saw the transition of human society evolve from hunter gatherer to farming and domestication of animals. This saw the need for hedges to enclose and protect these animals and the crops being grown.
The basic construction of later stone hedging developed and depended on the local stone available. At Kerdroya visitors can see twelve different types of stone and designs used in its construction. As one travels around Cornwall observing the historic stone hedges it can be seen how these were built using the stone from that area. Granite blocks from some areas and slate from others in various exterior designs to ensure strength and durability.
At Kerdroya the work continues relating to the low ‘sea’ hedges with planting of native Hawthorn along them planned. Funding is still needed and there are various ways the public can help with this. Please checkout the Golden Tree website link below. The car park at Kerdroya overlooking the Colliford Lake reservoir is pay and display but income from this goes to help maintain the Kerdroya labyrinth.
This fantastic Cornish monument is well worth a visit and I shall certainly go again this summer. Importantly as Will Coleman the man behind the project says, ‘this is a gift to the future of Cornwall from its past and we are sending it off to our descendants to enjoy or puzzle over.’ We can only hope that this monument will survive the test of time along with many of our other stone hedges and ancient sites.
More information about Kerdroya and links to the Golden Tree Productions and other websites as well as various videos relating to this project can be found here with links to other videos and websites relating to Cornish stone hedges.
