An ambitious and creative land art project four years in the making, Kerdroya at Colliford Lake opened to the public on Thursday. More than 140,000 stones have been laid by hand to create a labyrinth demonstrating traditional Cornish stone hedging techniques.

Having piped in the spring equinox at the heart of the maze, Kerdroya founder Will Coleman was joined by fellow musicians Hilary Coleman and Neil Davey to perform a specially commissioned piece of music – also entitled Kerdroya, and composed in a 15/8 time signature to reflect the labyrinthine twists and turns – followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony took place in blazing sunshine.

The project is a celebration of Cornwall's rich landscape and heritage, and the diverse geology, flora and fauna that shape the land and contribute to the rugged charm that remains in the hearts of Cornish folk across the world. The existing hedging has been laid to reflect the shape of the Cornwall peninsula from above; further fundraising is required to complete the project, which will include planting gorse and hawthorn for extra colour.

Throughout the day, Man Engine creator Will welcomed 100 “hedge pledgers” who had paid to sponsor a ‘yard of hedge' and receive a commemorative plaque. “What prickles my emotion is the inscriptions on those brass discs – this has real meaning for people,” said Will. “I’m touched they would choose to commemorate a marriage or birth, remember a lost loved one or share some spiritual wisdom in this way.”

The classical labyrinthine design stretches as far back as the ancient Egyptians, but the name Kerdroya is taken from historical turf mazes, often named Troy Town in English or Caerdroia in Welsh. The Cornish spelling yields ‘Kerdroya', a name with an appropriate alternative translation of ‘castle of turnings'.

The idea was born the best part of two decades ago, and was inspired by existing labyrinths including wall carvings at Rocky Valley in North Cornwall, and the turf mazes on the Scilly isle of St Agnes. The estimated age of these varies from thousands to mere hundreds of years old.

“The Cornish hedges are four thousand years old, which got me thinking: let’s build a labyrinth out of Cornish hedging,” said Will. “Hedging skills were in the hands of a small number of people, and in danger of being lost. We are trying to pass on those skills to the next generation, and raise awareness of hedging as a quality skill that matters.”

A downloadable guided tour reveals the different styles of hedging found throughout Cornwall, including Jack and Jenny – a zigzag herringbone used to make best use of flaky slate; and stones including serpentine from the Lizard peninsula, and even Bodmin Moor granite picked by traditional means of horse and sledge from the bed of Colliford Lake when water levels dropped dramatically to just 15 per cent during the drought of 2022.

One of several hedgers to take part in the build, Ryan Ibbotson teaches the art of Cornish hedging with the Guild of Master Hedgers and Cornwall Rural Education Scholls Trust (CREST). “When you’re going along the A30, you see hedges at 70mph and don’t really get the chance to stop and think about it,” he said. “But it’s a huge thing, and a lot of manpower has gone into putting them there. I hope people will come along and go, wow – that’s massive. I don’t think there’s a labyrinth in the world quite like this one.”

Meander along a 750m winding path and you'll pass four large granite slabs quarried 100 years ago in south-east Cornwall, now repurposed as benches and donated by Caradon Stone in Dobwalls; and a centrepiece of engineered art by local father and son team, Thomas and Gary Thrussell, who live half a mile from Colliford.

“It was something we had to be part of, and we feel incredibly proud and privileged to have made the artwork for something so significant for Cornwall,” says Thomas. The piece mirrors the shape of the labyrinth: “We aimed to take the essence of Kerdroya and squeeze it into a focal point. As well as being in it, you are looking at it. It’s a point of arrival and reflection.”

Colliford Lake is Cornwall’s most important site for drinking water, and South West Water was one of many corporate sponsors alongside Cornwall National Landscape, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Cornwall Council, South West Lakes Trust, Arts Council England, Guild of Cornish Hedgers, and others.

“Anything we can do to draw people here to think about their relationship with water is most welcome, and Kerdroya is the perfect way to do that,” said Carolyn Cadman, director of Net Zero and natural resources for South West Water.

“A Cornish hedge is one of the oldest manmade structures in this part of the world, and it’s reflective of the slow flow of water across the landscape, providing habitat and food for thousands of years.

“Colliford Lake is a good place to educate people about the relationship between humans and wildlife. The low water levels of 2022 were shocking to see; we had a campaign to encourage people to use less water, and they really responded to it. Having somewhere like this to tell that story is brilliant.”

Perhaps it is this message that matters most of all. “The labyrinth has its roots 4,000 years in the past and might still be here 4,000 years in the future,” says Will.

“I’d like to think that even if our descendants don’t speak the same kind of language that we do today, they will come across this structure and speculate about its usage, just as we do megalithic monuments; and that it will communicate to them that while the human species is busy destroying the one planet we have, some of us actually cared about it.”

Entrance to the site is free. Further information, including how to become part of the Kerdroya story and its next phase of construction, can be found at www.kerdroya.org