What an exhilarating spectacle to witness! The Man Engine, on his journey through Cornwall, called in at Redruth today and was greeted by singers and an enormous crowd despite the Cornish mist, which actually seemed quite appropriate. Here he is at full height, 10.5 meters. Even at rest he is the size of a double decker bus. The slide show below will give you a sense of his rising above the crowd. He can still be seen at various sites as he works his way West through the mining areas of Cornwall. Check out his journey by clicking here.
CORNISH MINING
Our mining culture shaped your world…
Kernow: the horn-shaped granite kingdom of Cornwall thrusts itself out into the Atlantic Ocean. We are a tiny 0.02% of the planet’s surface yet beneath our rocky shores can be found samples of more than 90% of all mineral species ever identified! Millions of years in the making, the geology of Cornwall is unique. This unbelievable geological treasure (Copper, Tin, Arsenic, Lead, Zinc, Silver, etc) has powered the Cornish people’s endeavour through over 4000 years of mining history: innovation, triumph and heartbreak.
In July 2006 the Cornish mining landscape was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This recognition puts our engine houses, miners’ cottages, grand gardens and miles of labyrinthine underground tunnels on a par with international treasures like Machu Picchu, the Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China.
The Man Engine project celebrates the ‘Tinth’ anniversary of our World Heritage status as well as the successes and the struggles of the real people whose lives shaped the Cornish Mining Story.
You can read more about him here https://medium.com/balweyth-cornish-mining/the-man-engine-3ad03eff55fb#.u51q3q69c
This is my video of a short part of the Ceremony. https://youtu.be/fq1c47hXaRo
anotherday2paradise
August 11, 2016 at 4:20 pm
What a wonderful celebration of Cornwall’s mining history! That Man Engine is huge. 🙂
mybeautfulthings
August 11, 2016 at 4:55 pm
It was just stunning to see him rise up as the choirs sang to him. You will be able to imagine him on the cliffs above St Agnes and his final stop, at Geevor. Just wonderful. Thank you for popping over to see him. 🙂
Patti Van Tuyl
August 4, 2016 at 4:12 pm
I never knew this about Cornwall. Congratulations on the “Tinth” anniversary of the UNESCO designation!
mybeautfulthings
August 4, 2016 at 5:00 pm
The other thing that is special -Ten years ago we, the Wisemen children, were asked if Cornwall County Council could have Jeremy Visick to put on all their school computers as it explains the history so well for primary school children. What an honour! Shame that Dad had died just two years before. He would have been so chuffed. 🙂
calvin
August 3, 2016 at 2:11 am
Seeing the picture, first thought, Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. So he is not out looking for an Engine Girl, huh.
David Wheeler
August 2, 2016 at 4:12 pm
It was an amazing spectacle. Lovely pictures, but you seem to have captured the back of my head in a couple of shots! Off to Heartlands now for Round 3.
mybeautfulthings
August 2, 2016 at 4:15 pm
I have but only you knew that until you told them all!! My apologies but my view was a bit restricted! Enjoy the next performance. Will we see you in Penzance too? 🙂
notewords
August 2, 2016 at 3:58 pm
Fabulous! I grew up on a mine property – my father was an underground electrician.
mybeautfulthings
August 2, 2016 at 4:16 pm
Was that in Cornwall? 🙂
notewords
August 2, 2016 at 4:22 pm
No, South Africa, but I think the mining communities have many similarities wherever you go.
mybeautfulthings
August 2, 2016 at 4:35 pm
Cornish miners took their hard rock mining skills all over the world as mining declined here. There is a photograph in our station of 100s of men on the platform – the weekly exodus to South Africa! 🙂
anotherday2paradise
August 11, 2016 at 4:15 pm
My dad too, but in one of the coal mines in the English Midlands.
notewords
August 11, 2016 at 8:44 pm
I think mining communities are very similar. 😉