2-319-919 - Peter Thompson/Heritage Images

Eden Project, near St Austell, Cornwall. The brainchild of Tim Smit, the Eden Project is an environmental and educational complex designed to demonstrate the interdependence of people and plants and the importance of conservation. Built in a disused china clay pit north of St Austell it consists of two large conservatories, or biomes, as well as exterior plantings and sculptures. The larger of the biomes contains plant species from the humid tropics while the other is devoted to species from warm temperate environments such as the Mediterranean and South Africa. The complex opened in March 2001 since when it has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in Britain.