Giant’s Head — Sue and Pete Hill
Living sculpture by Sue and Pete Hill, 1997 · Woodland Walk, Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall, England
Photo: Daderot / Wikimedia Commons (CC0), 30 May 2016 (camera date), the same photo as in the Street Art Utopia post. Full photograph shown; resized for display.
A giant face rises out of the ground beside the Woodland Walk at the Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall. Heligan, Woodland page Checked Heligan credits the Cornish brother-and-sister artists Sue and Pete Hill, who also made the Mud Maid; My Modern Met reports that both went in in 1997, while the gardens were being restored. Heligan, 2 Oct 2025 · My Modern Met, 11 Jun 2020 Reported
4 things to know
- Three weeks and a root ballThe Hills took about three weeks to make the head, building it around the root ball of a fallen tree and spreading local clay mixed with water over it. My Modern Met, 11 Jun 2020 Reported
- Red hair in summerA local invasive grass forms the green skin, and the hair is crocosmia, which flowers orange in July and turns the giant red-haired for the summer. My Modern Met, 11 Jun 2020 Reported
- A steel frame since 2012After 15 years the root ball had rotted, and in 2012 the head was renovated with a steel frame to hold it up. My Modern Met, 11 Jun 2020 Reported
- Smiles on the way outA visitor in July 2025 planned the route to the exit past the Grey Lady, the Mud Maid and the Giant’s Head, “the latter putting smiles on our faces”. Walking Ways, 22 Jul 2025 Checked
Where to see it
- 📍
- On the Woodland Walk at the Lost Gardens of Heligan, near St Austell, Cornwall, with the Mud Maid and the Grey Lady. Heligan, Woodland page Checked
- 🎟️
- It is inside the gardens, so a Heligan ticket is needed; check opening times on the garden’s site. Heligan, Woodland page Checked
Sightings
- 201630 May
Photographed by Daderot
- 202011 Jun
My Modern Met on how it was made
- 202522 Jul
Visit report · Walking Ways
- 20252 Oct
Heligan names its makers
Every stamp links to its source. The green stamp is a dated photograph (camera date). Amber stamps are reports; the newest visit report, published on 22 July 2025, sets the status stamp.
On the record
Este jardín inglés tiene increíbles esculturas vivas que cambian con las estaciones
“El gigante se renovó en 2012 al colocar un marco de acero para sostenerlo, ya que el cepellón se había podrido después de 15 años.”
English: “The giant was renovated in 2012 with a steel frame to hold it up, as the root ball had rotted after 15 years.”
Leaping fox sculpture lands at Heligan
“This re-use of materials available at Heligan reflects the processes used in the creation of the Mud Maid and Giant’s Head.”
Finding the Lost Gardens of Heligan
“The latter putting smiles on our faces as we left the Lost Gardens of Heligan over four hours after arriving.”
“The latter” is the Giant’s Head, the last of the three sculptures on the writers’ route out.
The facts
- Title
- The Giant’s Head, as Heligan names it. Heligan, Woodland page · Heligan, 2 Oct 2025 Checked
- Artists
- Sue and Pete Hill, a Cornish brother-and-sister team. Heligan, 2 Oct 2025 · My Modern Met, 11 Jun 2020 Checked
- Year
- 1997, while the gardens were being restored; it took about three weeks. My Modern Met, 11 Jun 2020 Reported
- Place
- Woodland Walk, the Lost Gardens of Heligan, near St Austell, Cornwall, England. Heligan, Woodland page · Walking Ways, 22 Jul 2025 Checked
- How it was made
- Local clay mixed with water, spread over the root ball of a fallen tree; a local invasive grass forms the skin. My Modern Met, 11 Jun 2020 Reported
- Hair
- Crocosmia, which flowers orange in July. My Modern Met, 11 Jun 2020 Reported
- Repair
- Renovated in 2012 with a steel frame after the root ball rotted. My Modern Met, 11 Jun 2020 Reported
- Status
- A visitor’s account published on 22 July 2025 describes passing it on the way out; Heligan’s 2 October 2025 news item places the Hills’ works on its sculpture trail, and its undated Woodland page still lists it. Walking Ways, 22 Jul 2025 · Heligan, 2 Oct 2025 · Heligan, Woodland page Checked
- Our photo
- Daderot, 30 May 2016 (camera date), released as CC0. Daderot / Wikimedia Commons Checked
Related
- People Made of Plants (10 Photos): the SAU collection with the Giant’s Head
- Mud Maid: the Artwork File for the Hills’ sleeping figure on the same walk
All sources (6)
Official
- Lost Gardens of Heligan: “Woodland at The Lost Gardens of Heligan”, undated page. Lists The Giant’s Head, Mud Maid and Grey Lady along the Woodland Walk.
- Lost Gardens of Heligan: “Leaping fox sculpture lands at Heligan”, 2 October 2025. Sue and Pete Hill, a Cornish brother and sister team, made the Mud Maid, Giant’s Head and Grey Lady; re-using Heligan materials reflects how the Mud Maid and Giant’s Head were made.
Press
- My Modern Met (Spanish edition): “Este jardín inglés tiene increíbles esculturas vivas que cambian con las estaciones”, 11 June 2020. Installed in 1997 during the restoration; how the Giant’s Head and the Mud Maid were built and planted; the Giant’s Head’s 2012 steel frame; the Mud Maid’s mermaid origin.
- Walking Ways UK: “Finding the Lost Gardens of Heligan”, 22 July 2025. A visitor’s account; the route out took in the Grey Lady, the Mud Maid and the Giant’s Head.
Photos
- Wikimedia Commons: photograph by Daderot, 30 May 2016 (camera date), CC0 1.0.
Street Art Utopia
- Street Art Utopia: “People Made of Plants (10 Photos)”, 20 October 2026. The SAU post with this work.
Artwork File · Last checked 20 October 2026 · Certainty labels follow How We Verify Art · All Artwork Files