We need your help not only to bring the Man Engine to life but also to make this the BIGGEST celebratory Cornish Gathering since we won the Rugby Championship at Twickenham in 1991!
So What is The Man Engine?
At a secret (ex-mining) location in Cornwall, we are now engineering the largest mechanical puppet ever to be built in Britain: a colossal metal Cornish Miner, part man, part machine. When he crawls down the road, the height of the Man Engine is 4.5m (about the same as a double-decker bus) but when he ‘transforms’ he will stand at over 10m tall (two-and-a-half double-deckers!).
The actual appearance of the behemoth will be kept a closely-guarded secret until the unveiling on Monday, July 25th when he will embark on his epic journey from Tavistock to Geevor Tin Mine, celebrating history, sharing knowledge and wowing the crowds.
Key Facts About The Man Engine
- Largest mechanical puppet ever made in Britain
- Entirely engineered in Cornwall
- Crawls at 4.5m high
- ‘Transforms’ to stand over 10m high
- With vehicle weighs nearly 40 tonnes
- Unveiled Tavistock Monday 25th July 2016
- Two weeks 130-mile pilgrimage Tamar to Geevor
- Visits all 10 Cornish Mining World Heritage Site areas
- 25+ events along route
- 50,000+ participants
- Cornish Mining Heritage workshops with 1200+ school pupils
- 5 ‘Mining Wagons’, designed by local schools and community
- Final event at St Just Sat 6th August 2016
Following an initial pump priming commission from the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site, we've sextupled the budget for this unique and ambitious project, raising over £300,000 of Cornish cultural investment to fund our schools heritage education programme, the design, and build of the largest mechanical puppet ever constructed in Britain, the Trailblazer bus and a crazy array of mining themed wagons, the performers, crew and logistical support to bring the behemoth down windy lanes to windy cliff tops the length of Cornwall... but, we are still a few quid short of what we need to deliver this project and make the finale at Geevor the biggest Cornish celebration since we won the rugby in 1991.
So please pledge now!
Rewards
We have a cracking array of rewards to say 'Thank You' for your pledges, including:
ST JUSTIN REWARDS:
Exclusive Limited Edition Cornish Tin Tull keyring and Bango from St Justin
TOTE BAGS: hand screen-printed by FishboyPZ
MAN ENGINE T-shirt:
Individually hand screen-printed by FishboyPZ the Man Engine T-Shirt is available in the Cornish colours, Black and White (modelled here by the lovely Denzil, our Project Manager) or Black and Gold (both in full range of adult sizes)
TIN PENNY:
Cornwall Gold are proud to have minted a commemorative Cornish Penny for the Man Engine Project. These special coins contain genuine Tolgus Tin which has been recovered and processed from Europe's last surviving tin streaming mill, near Redruth.
GOLDEN PENNY:
There will also be a Limited Edition collector's version Golden Penny available, also containing genuine Tolgus Tin plus a gold vermeil finish.
These images are for illustration purposes only. Please note that due to the nature of the product the colour, finish or appearance of the coin may have slight variations. All coins will be quality inspected.
COUSIN JACK ANGEL:Perhaps you are one of our worldwide Cornish Cousins or an alumnus of the Camborne School of Mines? Perhaps you can't get back to Kernow in person but would love to help us keep the spirit of Cornish Mining alive? We are planning an exclusive and carefully crafted thing of beauty: a framed limited edition print of a specially commissioned photograph with a personalised message to you, signed by the Man Engine crew, and dispatched to wherever you are in the World!
Cornish Mining World Heritage 'Tinth' Celebrations
Kernow: the horn-shaped granite kingdom of Cornwall that 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 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 Cornwall's World Heritage status, as well as the successes and the struggles of the real people whose lives shaped the Cornish Mining Story.
PARTNERS
The Man Engine is supported by:
Cornish Mining World Heritage Site, First Kernow, Arts Council England, Heritage Lottery Fund, Volvo Construction Equipment, Cornwall Council, Cormac, National Trust, Buro Happold, Cornwall Chamber of Commerce, Camborne School of Mines, Camborne School of Mines Trust, Exeter University, Kresen Kernow, Mining Searches UK, Imerys, In Steel, TJK Fabrication, Chris Sedgeman Scaffolding,
Cornwall College, Liskeard School & Community College, Penrice Academy, Pool Academy, Hayle Community School, Humphry Davy School, Geevor Tin Mine, Tavistock Town Council, Camborne Can Do, Penzance BID, Liskeard Town Council, Lostwithiel Business Group, St Austell Bid, St Austell Town Council, Wheal Martyn, Trewithen Estate, Cornwall Community Foundation, Sipsmith Gin, Totally Truro, Truro City Council, Redruth Town Council, Hayle Town Council, Harvey’s Foundry Trust, Heartlands, Cornwall College, Tolgus Tin, Cornish Gold, Fishboy PZ and Dynamite Valley Brewery.
To keep up to date with the Man Engine’s journey, events leading up to it and to dig deeper into our unique Cornish Mining heritage please visit the Man Engine website.