Editing Eden Project (section)

== History ==
[[File:Equus eden.jpg|thumb|Driftwood sculpture of a horse by Heather Jansch,<ref>{{cite web |first= Heather |last= Jansch |url= http://www.heatherjansch.com/index.php |title= Heather Jansch Sculptor Bronze & Driftwood Horse |publisher= Heather Jansch }}</ref> from the main entrance]]
[[File:Eden Project sculpture Made from the detritus of modern living - the teeth are computer mouses.JPG|thumb|Eden Project sculpture Made from the detritus of modern living—the teeth are computer mice]]
[[File:Grasswoman eden.jpg|thumb|''Eve'', by Sue and Pete Hill, shaped from the soil]]
The clay pit in which the project is sited was in use for over 160 years.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.edenproject.com/whats-it-all-about/behind-the-scenes/about-us/our-story |title= Our Story |publisher= Eden Project |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120712023922/http://www.edenproject.com/whats-it-all-about/behind-the-scenes/about-us/our-story |archive-date= 12 July 2012}}</ref> In 1981, the pit was used by the [[BBC]] as the planet surface of Magrathea in the TV series ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (TV series)|the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/oct/03/hitchhikers-guide-galaxy-douglas-adams |location= London |work=[[The Guardian]] |first= Jenny |last= Turner |title= Does the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy still answer the ultimate question? |date= 3 October 2009 }}</ref> By the mid-1990s the pit was all but exhausted.<ref name="edenproject.com">{{cite web |url= http://www.edenproject.com/whats-it-all-about/behind-the-scenes/10th-birthday/10th-birthday-timeline |title= Eden story, educational charity – Eden Project, Cornwall |publisher= Eden Project }}</ref>

The initial idea for the project dates back to 1996, with construction beginning in 1998. The work was hampered by torrential rain in the first few months of the project, and parts of the pit flooded as it sits {{convert|15|m|ft|abbr=on}} below the water table.<ref name="edenproject.com" />

The first part of the Eden Project, the visitor centre, opened to the public in May 2000. The first plants began arriving in September of that year,<ref name="edenproject.com" /> and the full site opened on 17 March 2001.

To counter criticism from environmental groups, the Eden Project committed to investigate a rail link to the site.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2 June 2002|title=Car fumes blight Eden's green vision|url=http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2002/jun/02/travelandtransport.theobserversuknewspages|access-date=21 February 2021|website=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref> The rail link was never built, and car parking on the site is still funded from revenue generated from general admission ticket sales. A bus service links the site to [[St Austell]] railway station, on the [[Cornish Main Line]].

The Eden Project was used as a filming location for the 2002 [[James Bond]] film ''[[Die Another Day]]''. On 2 July 2005 The Eden Project hosted the [[Live 8 concert, Eden Project|"Africa Calling" concert]] of the [[Live 8]] concert series. It has also provided some plants for the [[British Museum]]'s Africa garden.

In 2005, the Project launched "A Time of Gifts" for the winter months, November to February. This features an ice rink covering the lake, with a small café-bar attached, as well as a Christmas market. Cornish choirs regularly perform in the biomes.

In 2007, the Eden Project campaigned unsuccessfully for £50&nbsp;million in [[Big Lottery Fund]] money for a proposed [[desert]] biome.<ref name=BigLottery>{{cite web |url= https://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/global-content/press-releases/england/south-west/eden-edges-closer-to-winning-lottery-millions |title= Eden edges closer to winning Lottery millions: Big Lottery Fund |access-date= 16 May 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7140621.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |date= 12 December 2007 |title= Routes scheme tops lottery vote |access-date= 3 February 2008}}</ref> It received just 12.07% of the votes, the lowest for the four projects being considered.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_the_peoples_50_million.htm |publisher= [[The Big Lottery Fund]] |title= The People's 50 Million – Sustrans' Connect2 wins £50 million prize |access-date= 3 February 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080119020032/http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_the_peoples_50_million.htm |archive-date= 19 January 2008 |url-status= dead }}</ref> As part of the campaign, the Eden Project invited people all over Cornwall to try to break the [[world record]] for the biggest ever [[pub quiz]] as part of its campaign to bring £50&nbsp;million of [[lottery]] funds to Cornwall.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.edenproject.com/about/3200.html |title= About |publisher= Eden Project |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071226181304/http://www.edenproject.com/about/3200.html |archive-date= 26 December 2007}}</ref>

In December 2009, much of the project, including both greenhouses, became available to navigate through [[Google Street View]].

The Eden Trust revealed a trading loss of £1.3&nbsp;million for 2012–13, on a turnover of £25.4&nbsp;million. The Eden Project had posted a surplus of £136,000 for the previous year. In 2014 Eden accounts showed a surplus of £2&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.cornishguardian.co.uk/St-Austell-8217-s-Eden-Project-black/story-21239280-detail/story.html#ixzz3df3N6sV2 |title= St Austell's Eden Project |date= 15 June 2014 |work=[[Cornish Guardian]] |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150923210710/http://www.cornishguardian.co.uk/St-Austell-8217-s-Eden-Project-black/story-21239280-detail/story.html#ixzz3df3N6sV2 |archive-date= 23 September 2015}}</ref>

The [[World Pasty Championships]], an international competition to find the best [[Cornish pasties]] and other pasty-type savoury snacks, have been held at the Eden Project since 2012.<ref>{{citation |ref= {{harvid|World Pasty Championships winners chosen}} |title= World Pasty Championships winners chosen |date= 4 March 2012 |journal=[[BBC News]] |url= https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cornwall-17249619 |access-date= 13 August 2016}}</ref>

The Eden Project is said to have contributed over £1&nbsp;billion to the Cornish economy.<ref name=personally>{{cite web |url= http://www.personallyspeakingbureau.com/speaker/tim-smit-kbe-sir/ |title= Tim Smit KBE, Sir – Personally Speaking Bureau |access-date= 16 May 2016 |archive-date= 27 November 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171127201404/https://www.personallyspeakingbureau.com/speaker/tim-smit-kbe-sir/ |url-status= dead }}</ref> In 2016, Eden became home to Europe's second-largest [[redwood]] forest (after the Giants Grove at Birr Castle, [[Birr Castle]], Ireland) when forty saplings of coast redwoods, ''[[Sequoia sempervirens]]'', which could live for 4,000 years and reach 115 metres in height, were planted there.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.edenproject.com/eden-story/our-ethos/redwood-conservation-project|title=Redwood conservation project|date=March 2016|website=Eden Project|access-date=13 May 2019|archive-date=13 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513103752/https://www.edenproject.com/eden-story/our-ethos/redwood-conservation-project|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Eden Project received 1,010,095 visitors in 2019.<ref name="ALVA 2019 visitor numbers">{{cite web |title=ALVA - Association of Leading Visitor Attractions |url=https://www.alva.org.uk/details.cfm?p=423 |website=www.alva.org.uk |access-date=23 October 2020}}</ref>

In December 2020 the project was closed after heavy rain caused several [[landslip]]s at the site. Managers at the site are assessing the damage and will announce when the project will reopen on the company's website.<ref>{{Cite news|date=20 December 2020|title=Cornwall Eden Project closes after heavy rain causes floods|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cornwall-55377974|access-date=20 December 2020}}</ref> Reopening became irrelevant as Covid lockdown measures in the UK indefinitely closed the venue from early 2021, though it had reopened by May 2021 after remedial works had taken place. The site was used for an event during the [[2021 G7 Summit]], hosted by the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite news|title=G7 world leaders meet the Queen|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2021/06/11/president-joe-biden-first-lady-jill-meet-queen/|access-date=12 June 2021|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=11 June 2021}}</ref>