Harvey is personally drawn towards anything with mystery, which holds a compelling narrative and that is also aesthetically captivating.
This story concerns the Lost Gardens of Heligan, and the story of the Lost Men of Heligan. The intimate and breath-taking tale of the Lost Men is truly a heart breaking series of events, which are part of the larger devastating history of the First World War. This is a poignant insight into the lives of everyday men who gave the ultimate sacrifice, and also informs of the consequences of war. This story is transferable to all of those who gave their lives fighting in the First World War, however it is smaller, although it is detailed and personal to those who live in Cornwall and the surrounding parishes of the Heligan Estate…
1914 saw the outbreak of the First World War, and many young men the world over were removed from their normal lives and called up to serve for their country and fight. In Cornwall, a fine percentage of these men consisted of the total number. An even smaller percentage of these men lived and worked in the grounds of the Heligan Estate, at the time belonging to the Squire Jack Tremayne. It is known that thirteen men of the Heligan Estate were eventually called up to serve in the First World War, nine of which died and only four survived. With the outbreak of the First World War, it brought with it much devastation. Landscapes the world over were completely destroyed by bombs and shellfire, however some landscapes were also left by desertion and destroyed by evolution. This is what happened to Heligan Gardens, eventually, but was certainly brought about by the outbreak First World War. It’s romantic and utopian state was brutally interrupted by such cruelty, never to be the same again…
Heligan Estate has forever been passed down through the bloodline of the Tremayne family, inherited by a new heir each time. On February 16th 1990 John Willis, descendant of the Treymane family, invited local archaeologist Tim Smit to come and explore the overgrown and wild site of Heligan Gardens, which had been deserted for nearly 70 years, and had practically engulfed itself in impenetrable overgrowth. The pair relentlessly chopped their way through the grounds exploring every inch as they did. They discovered many exciting buildings, Victorian structures and old world technologies. One of their discoveries, definitely the most valuable, was within the ruins of an old out house and sleeping quarters. This room, eventually becoming known as the Thunder Box room contained scrawled upon its interior poems, ditties and a list of names. Although it is not proven, much can be drawn from the fact that each man left an insignia upon the wall of the Thunderbox Room, along with the date 1914 – which of course is the most significant date of all in Heligan’s most recent history. Did the Men of Heligan know that their days were numbered? In any case Tim and John decided there and then, that the gardens were to be restored to their full quality, maintained in a Victorian fashion, to honour the lives of those that signed the wall. Unknowingly, what Tim and John had really set out to do was to create a living war memorial. As they were soon to discover that these men had given the ultimate sacrifice.
Heligan is now a fully functioning working garden, with a lovely task force, who have all played a part in bringing life back to the site. The story of the lost men runs deep throughout the gardens, which is now a officially a living memorial site. Most is known about each individual who signed the walls of the Thunderbox Room that fateful day, stories have been shared with Heligan through anecdotal information supplied by family members of the Lost Men. Census records, and archival information has also been supplied to the gardens by the Imperial War Museum.
This Project is titled the Thunderbox Room, and is a personification of what it means to remember the fallen. Titled accordingly as without the discovery of this important feature, we might not know the beautiful tale of the Lost Men of Heligan. The people who feature within this project are those who are personally invested in the story of the Lost Men. This includes Candy Smit, historian and driving force behind this project in particular. Ken Paynter, Son of Fred Paynter – A man who survived the First World War. Barbra Palmer, Granddaughter of Charles Ball, A man who was mortally wounded on the battlefield. Terry Thrft, Ant Phillips, Craig Bell, Edd Little and Barrie Thornley – Gardeners who currently work the soil at Heligan Gardens.