Built on a former china-clay pit, the ‘garden’ is housed in huge geodesic domes called ‘biodomes’and in crescent-shaped terraces outside. Tim Smitt, already famed for his work at the nearby Lost Garden of Heligan, created it. The two are as different as chalk from cheese. The latter is a traditional large country house garden while The Eden Project can be described as a multifaceted botanical experience or an extraordinary botanical garden. The importance of the relationship between plants and mankind is stressed at every turn as one explores the site but this is done subtly and one does not feel one is being lectured to. The site is divided into three parts. The first two, humid tropical and Mediterranean are housed in huge biodomes where the plants, wildlife and climate can be controlled. The cool temperate area (under preparation at the time of writing) is situated outside.