Heritage Fund grant awarded for construction at Kerdroya

Posted on August 30th, 2022

Kerdroya has been steadily emerging near Colliford Lake on Bodmin Moor. Now, thanks to grant funding from the Heritage Fund, the next chapter of work can begin. 

With the final phase of construction due to start on site in Spring 2023, Kerdroya will become ‘the living lexicon of Cornish hedging’ –  a destination with a planned opening date in Autumn 2023 that will showcase distinctive regional hedging styles, from all twelve of Cornwall’s AONB locations, made possible by this latest funding award.  

Our Artistic Director Will Coleman says:  

‘Yth eson ni orth agan entra an hys tre! Ni re beu ow travalya, yn kosel, rag polsyow, saw pan y dhrehevyir neppyth dhe besya peswar mil bledhen, puptra via gwell gwrys’yn trekli’!’ 

“We are entering the home straight! We have been loustering away quietly for a little while, but when you are building something to last 4,000 years everything is better off done ‘drekly’.”  

Conveniently located close to the A30; this free and accessible site will bring the important culture, heritage and biodiversity of Cornish hedges to visitors from Cornwall and beyond.  Once complete, the visitor will walk a single, meandering path through the stretches of artisan stonework, discovering characteristic hedging styles from across Kernow.  

An audio trail will be created in partnership with school pupils and Cornish charities to ensure that the site and the story of Cornish Hedging can be enjoyed by those who face access barriers. Donations of stone, from far-flung corners of Cornwall, will be brought together to celebrate the thousands of miles of unique hedges that define our landscape, and mark our ancient field boundaries.  As part of the project, we’ll be working with a local filmmaker to record memories, folklore and language associated with Cornish hedging so that it is preserved for future generations. Watch this space for more details of how to share your hedging stories. 

The project will highlight how Cornish hedges, critical but unprotected heritage assets, are at risk due to development pressures and a dwindling group of skilled craftspeople who can build and repair them. 

Following on from more than 150 days of training delivered so far, this next chapter of the project will see young apprentices complete qualifications in Cornish Hedging. Kerdroya will also welcome volunteers from charitable organisations across Cornwall and students from Truro & Penwith college, to learn hedging skills. 

To find out more about all the great things that have happened as part of the Kerdroya project, funded by Cornwall Council, Cornwall AONB, the Heritage Fund, FEAST, Cornwall Heritage Trust and Arts Council England, and the ways you can support this colossal piece of Cornish land art visit our Kerdroya project page.