Cornish Mining Man Engine continues journey passing through St Austell

The world has now seen the UK’s largest ever mechanical puppet, the 12 m Cornish Mining Man Engine, which on July 25 set off on its historic summer journey the entire length of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site, and today passed through St Austell. Part of the ‘Tinth’ (10th) anniversary of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape being added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites, the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site Partnership provided the initial funding for the two week “awe-inspiring journey of the Man Engine – a monumental moving, smoking, metalworked, mining ‘behemoth’, the likes of which has never been seen before.”

He ‘awoke’ for the first time in Bedford Square in Tavistock, West Devon, and over the course of a 50 minute ceremony ‘transformed’ up into the sky, to the height of almost three double decker buses, aided by the singing of local choirs and gathered crowds. “In a riveting ceremony which saw smoke, lights, sounds creating a high level of ‘industrial drama’, the imposing Man Engine was hauled to his 10 plus metres final height by a team of ‘Lilliputian’ modern day ‘miners’ and ‘bal maidens’ against the backdrop of the significant stannary town, of which a major amount of development came from the investment of miners and the Duke of Bedford, a mine owner. Blinking his massive eyes, and wearing a traditional miners hat, The Man Engine took a long, look out across his world, whilst children and adults, locals and visitors alike, watched him in astonishment.”

He is making his way from Tavistock to the far western tip of Cornwall, across the UK’s biggest World Heritage Site, a journey of some 130 miles. Until August 6, 2016, the general public will be able to head to 20 events right across the area where they can “witness the immense spectacle whilst learning the stories of the Cornish miners whose endeavour, ingenuity and innovation transformed the industrial world, both in Cornwall and West Devon, and right across the globe.”

The brainchild of Will Coleman of Cornwall’s Golden Tree Productions, the Man Engine was designed and overseen by Hal Sylvester, a big puppet specialist, using a talented team of engineers, fabricators, welders, smoke and lighting experts and artists, from right across Cornwall and the South West. The Man Engine sports a number of ‘motifs’ of Cornish mining with a giant beam engine as a rocking neck, mining ‘head gear’ sheave wheels as shoulders, cast iron flangers and rivets throughout and hands that reflect massive 20th century excavators. A wheel loader, kindly provided by Volvo, acts as the Man Engine’s ‘puppeteer’, aiding the support crew of ‘miners’ who raise him up and animate him whilst he is ‘transformed.’

Will Coleman of Golden Tree Productions said, “Kernow, our horn-shaped granite kingdom of Cornwall, is a tiny 0.002% 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 4,000 years of mining history: innovation, triumph and heartbreak. I was brought up on the banks of the River Tamar with the stories and the legacy of Cornish mining all around me. The landscape is deeply rooted in the impacts of that industry and in the successes and the struggles of the real people whose lives shaped our Cornwall and West Devon mining stories.”

Coleman continues, “With the birth of our ultimate mining machine, we have toiled long and hard to embed into this single huge object, the meaning and feeling of the stories of the real people, and the real lives of those people, their sorrows, their achievements and their journeys, over thousands of years. With 19th century mining vernacular and motifs throughout, we have all worked together to drive a colossal scale and excitement into him, honouring the achievements, the harshness, the beauty and the significance that the work, energy and brainpower that these people brought to our entire world. Now he’s alive and off on the timely pilgrimage, with our team of miners and bal maidens, of more than 100 miles throughout our homeland. I can’t explain how extraordinary the feeling is to see the people on the streets meet him, and be so in awe of him.”

Cllr Julian German, Chairman of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site Partnership says, “The project has been an enormous challenge for Golden Tree Productions and their extended team since they won this bid. This time has seen them seek creative solutions for the myriad challenges such an audacious proposal was always going to generate. We congratulate them, and all those involved in organising the Man Engine, wholeheartedly, for their vision, ambition and tenacity in pursuing such a spectacular project – a fitting tribute to our ancestors’ efforts, ingenuity and entrepreneurialism.”

German continues, “This Man Engine Tinth project has already reached over 1,200 schoolchildren during the last 4 months, who have researched the stories behind five real life Cornish Mining characters. This has inspired their creation of five processional wagons depicting these stories, in the process gaining valuable skills and integrating science and arts learning. The project has also reached tens of thousands of people to date, through the attendance of the Trailblazer bus at major public events earlier this summer. I am sure the Man Engine’s journey will be a huge success. It has certainly captured everyone’s imagination, and will bring the towns and villages along the route to the attention of a national audience, driving a new excitement and understanding of the importance of our Cornwall and West Devon Mining World Heritage Sites.”