Granite seed is 'planted' at Eden

The sculpture is 13ft (4m) high and weighs 70 tonnes

A 70-tonne granite sculpture of a seed has been 'planted' at the Eden Project in Cornwall.

The 13ft (4m) high work is the centrepiece of Eden's new £15m Core education centre.

The seed was lowered into a circular room at the heart of The Core in front of visitors at the attraction.

The seed took Devon sculptor Peter Randall-Page four years to create. It was funded by Simon Robertson, an Eden trustee and chairman of Rolls-Royce.

The sculpture was transported by lorry from the De Lank Quarry on Bodmin Moor on Sunday.

Eden's director of learning, Dr Jo Elworthy, said Seed is symbolic of Eden's ecological and environmental image.

She said: ''Seed and the Core pay homage to nature, efficiency and collaboration.

''Take the sunflower as an example. The giant bloom is made of hundreds of little flowers that combine together to create a massive functional landing pad for bees.

Sculptor Peter Randall-Page watches the seed being lowered

''Its efficiency and strength symbolises what can be achieved when people work closely, both together and with the grain of nature.

''We're planting the Seed in the middle of the Core to symbolise the next stage in Eden's development - to sow ideas for the 21st Century and work towards a world we want to live in.''

Mr Randall-Page said he wanted to make a sculpture "whose mass would almost totally fill an architectural space offering an awe-inspiring experience".

He said: "The shape of the chamber echoes that of the stone, like a seed in its pod.

"The space between the sculpture and the walls will create extraordinary spatial drama."