Geograph - photograph every grid square

The Eden Project was conceived in the mid 1990s by local record producer Tim Smit as an educational facility, by showcasing plants used for food and medicinal purposes.
Work on the site started in 1998 with the project officially opening to the public on 17 March 2001.

Utilising a recently decommissioned former china clay pit, the centrepiece consists of two large greenhouses, to create Biomes climatically controlled to provide conditions for Mediterranean and rainforest plants respectively. These are entered by a connecting entrance area. Also in the site is an educational centre and art gallery called The Core (opened in 2005), a stage (hosting an annual music festival among other events) and a large visitors’ centre. The whole area is landscaped with further planting. All soil both inside and outside the Biomes was made for the Project, that in the Biomes from composted bark and that in the landscaping from recycled domestic green waste.

It is one of the top visitor attractions in Cornwall, attracting around a million visitors each year.