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Category Archives: The Lost Gardens of Heligan

Solar Energy, Cake and New Sculpture

It’s Redruth Market tomorrow and I’ve baked a cake as usual but today, we used no power from the grid but just power from the sun!

Sue-next-door, her brother Pete and their friend Hal, have just installed Twigmaid (a smaller, travelling Mudmaid) into the courtyard behind St Martins-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, for the Lost Oasis. This Heligan-in-the-City is a beautiful green retreat in the heart of London with a bar, guest chefs, music and events. If you, Dear Reader, if you are anywhere near, do go and visit. Ute, maybe?

https://www.thelostoasis.co.uk/

Isn’t she beautiful? Made by Sue Hill and Pete Hill

Here is the original Mud Maid to be found in The Lost Gardens of Heligan here in Cornwall.

3 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on June 5, 2026 in art, baking, Cornwall, environment, nature, Postaday 2026, sculpture, The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Uncategorized

Tags: Heligan-in-the-City

The Lost Gardens of Heligan and Lowarnes

11 Sep

Regular readers will remember the fox sculpture being built next door. Tonight was the unveiling of the remarkable sculpture in the Lost Gardens of Heligan.

Even having watched ithe sculpture being constructed in the garden next door over months, to walk down the path and come across the wonderful 6 meter high fox was amazing, a breathtaking moment that actually made me weep. Here she is in her new home where she truly looks as if she has landed in her rightful habitat.

First view as we came around the bend

Crowd in awe

Some sense of scale with the children underneath

Close up of her head

11 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on September 11, 2025 in art, Celebration, Cornwall, environment, nature, Postaday2025, sculpture, The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Uncategorized

Homecoming Festival

22 Jun

What a fabulous evening we have had at the Lost Gardens of Heligan’s festival, Homecoming. Tonight was the last night and the highlight was an Evening with Dawn French and Sue Hill. First there was a delicious supper in the marquee, lively traditional Cornish music from Dalla Duo and then the hilarious and at times very moving conversation between our lovely neighbour, sculptor and theatre maker, Sue Hill and the comedy actor and writer Dawn French. We all loved it! Enjoy the gallery.

Dalla Duo

Supper tent

Chicken sharing box

Dawn French and Sue Hill

5 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on June 22, 2025 in Celebration, Cornwall, friendship, Humour, Postaday2025, The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Uncategorized

Tags: Dalla Duo, Dawn French, Sue Hill

A Poem

27 Sep

Some time ago I found this poem, “First Day of War” by Ludmila Khersonsky, that was published in The New Yorker, and it has come back into my head as we prepare to welcome some young Ukrainians into our home. They are part of a theatre group who will be performing in Redruth at the end of next week. They are from Kyiv and need some rest and recuperation before they get into rehearsals and performances so we are going to show them some of the beauty of Cornwall and of our everyday lives.

3 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on September 27, 2022 in Cornwall, Peace, poetry, Postaday2022, Redruth, The Lost Gardens of Heligan

Tags: "First Day of War", Ludmila Khersonsky, Ukraine

Guest Blogger

23 Dec

LiveWire No 3, our Granddaughter of 10 years old who was with us recently, took lots of photos at the Heligan Night Garden and has sent them to me. If you live locally, do try to get there! Thank you, T, these are a beautiful reminder of our lovely evening all together.

6 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on December 23, 2021 in art, Christmas, Christmas decorations, Cornwall, Grandchildren, Photography, Postaday2021, sculpture, The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Uncategorized

Together

20 Dec

After a late breakfast, a quiet catch-up morning, and a cold swim for Daughter No 2 in Portreath, we went off to The Lost Gardens of Heligan for their Night Garden Extravaganza, came home to a vegetarian chilli feast and lastly watched Elf (a film I had never seen) together! Here are just a few of the treasures in the night garden where we also enjoyed hot chestnuts, hot chocolates, mulled wine and toasted marshmallows! A fine time has been had by all. It is so good to be doing things all together..

3 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on December 20, 2021 in art, Beauty, Christmas, family, Grandchildren, Happiness, Postaday2021, sculpture, The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Uncategorized

Tags: Night Garden

The Lost Gardens

05 Aug

We’ve had the best last day with the LIveWires and Daughter No2 in The Lost Gardens of Heligan, exploring areas we hadn’t visited before and generally having fun. The rain wasn’t a problem at all as we were all wearing the right clothes! Join us in the gallery.

Charming entrance made with old tools

The Mud Maid made by Sue Hill and Pete Hill

Going down to the Jungle

Hydrangea heart

Rope walk

Enormous tree

Bamboo

Insect hotel

View across the hills

Blue Heron

14 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on August 5, 2021 in Cornwall, environment, family, Happiness, nature, Photography, Postaday2021, The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Uncategorized

Weekly Photo Challenge – Time

09 Feb

The beautiful Mud Maid in The Lost Gardens of Heligan, near Mevagissey in Cornwall, has been there for a long time already and will be there for a very long time to come. She is the work of Cornish sculptors Sue Hill and Pete Hill and is a favourite for our Grandchildren to visit. They love the Giant too. For others in this Challenge, click this link.

Mud Maid by Sue Hill and Pete Hill

5 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on February 9, 2016 in art, Beauty, Cornwall, Postaday 2016, sculpture, The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Weekly photo challenge

Tags: Pete Hill, Sue Hill, The Mud Maid, Weekly Photo Challenge - Time

The Lost Gardens of Heligan – Changing, Poppy Field and Giant

24 Jun

We visited the Lost Gardens of Heligan this morning. The changing room for babies caught my eye!

Baby changing room at Heligan

Last year, in the gardens, there was a wonderfully moving commemoration of the start of World War 1. You can read about it here. Thousands of poppies were planted for the event but, as is the way with poppies, they chose their own time to bloom and there were few around last year. This year they have bloomed in their thousands and make for a most moving spectacle. Click your way through the gallery and enjoy them as much as we did.

3 The Giant is always one of our favourites and the Live-Wires all love him. Wish they had been with us today.Here he is for them!

The Heligan Giant, made by Sue Hill and Pete Hill

Thank you for this one, Di

9 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on June 24, 2015 in Beauty, Cornwall, environment, painting, photography, Postaday 2015, The Lost Gardens of Heligan

Tags: Sue Hill and Pete Hill, The Heligan Giant

100: The Day Our World Changed – The Afternoon at Heligan

07 Aug

The afternoon at The Lost Gardens evoked the Heligan of the past beautifully with the laundry girls washing the sheets and putting them to dry on the lawn, the gardeners working hard in the kitchen garden and suddenly being told of the outbreak of war and that they would be needed. All the time strains of music could be heard from the local bands and our very own singers from Claire’s three choirs, brought together as the Ingleheart 100 for the day. Click on any photo for detail. Thank you to the lovely Mr S for some of the photos.