Tim Smit

Last updated

Sir Tim Smit
KBE
Tim Smit (6509919409).jpg
Smit in 2011
Born
Timothy Bartel Smit

(1954-09-25) 25 September 1954 (age 70)
Scheveningen, The Hague, Netherlands
Citizenship British
Education Cranbrook School
Vinehall School
Alma mater Hatfield College, Durham
OccupationBusinessman
Known for Lost Gardens of Heligan and Eden Project
Spouse
Candy Pinsent
​
​
(m. 1978,divorced)​
Children4

Sir Timothy Bartel Smit KBE (born 25 September 1954) [1] is a Dutch-born British businessman who jointly helped create the Lost Gardens of Heligan, and the Eden Project in Cornwall, United Kingdom.

Contents

Early life

Tim Smit was born in Scheveningen, the son of airline KLM chief executive Jan Smit [2] and his English wife. He was educated in England at Vinehall School, [3] East Sussex, and Cranbrook School, Kent, before going on to study archaeology and anthropology at Hatfield College, Durham.

Career

He worked as an archaeologist before working as both a songwriter and producer receiving seven platinum and gold discs.

In 1987 he moved with his family to Cornwall and became involved with Rob Poole, John Nelson and The Lost Gardens of Heligan. Smit wrote a book about the project.

Tim Smit in conversation with Silver Donald Cameron about his work.

With architect Jonathan Ball, he jointly created the Eden Project, near St Austell, an £80 million initiative to build two transparent biomes in an old china clay pit near the village of Bodelva. The biomes contain different eco-climates; rainforest and Mediterranean. The outside area is also described as a biome and has areas such as "Wild Cornwall". Eden aims to educate people about environmental matters and encourages a greater understanding and empathy with these matters. Smit raised the funds and the site design was by Nicholas Grimshaw. Smit has claimed that The Eden Project has contributed over £1 billion into the Cornish economy. [4]

Smit's book about the creation of the Eden Project, Eden, was published in 2001 and updated on the 10th anniversary of the opening in March 2011.

Smit was appointed an honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2002 New Year Honours and awarded the Kilgerran Award of the Foundation for Science and Technology in 2003. [5] [6] In 2006 he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Design degree by the University of the West of England "in recognition of his outstanding achievements in promoting the understanding and practice of the responsible management of the vital relationship between plants, people and resources, which have made a major contribution regionally, nationally and internationally to sustainable development, tourism, architecture and landscape architecture".

Smit has been outspoken in his views on issues such as social enterprise and entrepreneurship. In a 2008 interview, he said:

Britain is crap at being entrepreneurial because (a) it's a risk averse country, and (b) the stigma of failure is so high that if you fail you're considered to be a loser. Entrepreneurism is a word that has been stolen by people who don't understand it. The truth is that people who are entrepreneurial take risks, and risk is something that is un-British, and if you're successful with it they'll hate you for it. [7]

In the early 21st century, Smit became a Social Enterprise Ambassador. [8]

He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 2001 when he was surprised by Michael Aspel at the Eden Project. [ citation needed ]

Smit was appointed Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in January 2011 in recognition of his services to public engagement with science. [9] In May 2012, the award was made substantive when he became a British citizen, allowing Smit to use the title "Sir". [4] [10]

In November 2016, Smit was awarded an honorary Doctor of Education degree by Bournemouth University. [11]

Smit is one of the backers of the Eden Westwood project, a joint project between the Eden Project and developers Westwood to build a 175 acre (71 hectares) leisure and tourism destination at Junction 27 of the M5 in Devon. The development was included in the Mid Devon Local Plan which was adopted in July 2020. [12] [13] In January 2021 Smit submitted plans for a development in Lostwithiel consisting of an orchard with 3,000 fruit trees, a pottage garden, a multi-use building with cookery school, microbrewery, distillery, cider press and 20 accommodation units. [14]

Politics

In August 2014, Smit was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian opposing Scottish independence in the run-up to September's referendum on that issue. [15]

Prior to the 2015 UK general election, he was one of several celebrities who endorsed the parliamentary candidacy of the Green Party's Caroline Lucas. [16]

Portraits of Smit

The National Portrait Gallery collection has two photographs of Tim Smit from 2002. [17] In 2008, Smit agreed to sit for sculptor Jon Edgar in Fowey as part of his Environment Series. [18]

Controversy

In 2004, Eden Project co-founder Jonathan Ball won over £1.8m in damages from the law firm Druces & Attlee, which the High Court found had failed to secure Ball's just financial reward when he left the project in 1997. [19]

In February 2022, Smit criticised what he regarded as the backward-looking tendency of some Cornish people. [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eden Project</span> Visitor attraction in Cornwall, United Kingdom

The Eden Project is a visitor attraction in Cornwall, England. The project is located in a reclaimed china clay pit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lost Gardens of Heligan</span> Botanical garden in Cornwall, England

The Lost Gardens of Heligan are located near Mevagissey in Cornwall, England and are considered to be amongst the most popular in the UK. The gardens are typical of the 19th century Gardenesque style with areas of different character and in different design styles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Fowey</span> River in Cornwall, England

The River Fowey is a river in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Its source is at Fowey Well about 1 mile (1.6 km) north-west of Brown Willy on Bodmin Moor, not far from one of its tributaries rising at Dozmary Pool and Colliford Lake, passes Lanhydrock House, Restormel Castle and Lostwithiel, then broadens below Milltown before joining the English Channel at Fowey. The estuary is called Uzell. It is only navigable by larger craft for the last 7 miles (11 km). There is a ferry between Fowey and Bodinnick. The first road crossing going upstream is in Lostwithiel. The river has seven tributaries, the largest being the River Lerryn. The section of the Fowey Valley between Doublebois and Bodmin Parkway railway station is known as the Glynn Valley. The valley is the route of both the A38 trunk road and the railway line. The railway line is carried on eight stone viaducts along this stretch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lostwithiel</span> Town in Cornwall, England

Lostwithiel is a civil parish and small town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom at the head of the estuary of the River Fowey. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,739, increasing to 2,899 at the 2011 census. The Lostwithiel electoral ward had a population of 4,639 at the 2011 census. The name Lostwithiel comes from the Cornish "lostwydhyel" which means "tail of a wooded area".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mevagissey</span> Human settlement in England

Mevagissey is a village, fishing port and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is approximately five miles (8 km) south of St Austell. The parish population at the 2011 census was 2,015, whereas the ward population at the same census was 4,354.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurt Jackson</span> English painter (born 1961)

Kurt Jackson is a British painter whose large canvases reflect a concern with natural history, ecology and environmental issues.

A Cornish Assembly is a proposed devolved law-making assembly for Cornwall along the lines of the Scottish Parliament, the Senedd and the Northern Ireland Assembly in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Ewe</span> Human settlement in England

St Ewe is a civil parish and village in mid-Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, which is believed by hagiographers to have been named after the English moniker of Saint Avoye. The village is situated approximately five miles (8 km) southwest of St Austell.

The Cornish Guardian is a weekly newspaper in Cornwall, England, UK, which is part of the Cornwall & Devon Media group. Its head office is in Truro and it is published in seven separate editions:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of Cornwall</span>

The economy of Cornwall in South West England is largely dependent upon agriculture, followed by tourism. Cornwall is one of the poorest areas in the United Kingdom with a GVA of 70.9% of the national average in 2015. It is one of four areas in the UK that qualified for poverty-related grants from the EU. Farming and food processing contributed £366 million to the county's economy in 2006, equal to 5.3% of Cornwall's total GVA. The agriculture industry in Cornwall employed 9,500 people as of 2011. 23,700 more were employed in the food industry in Cornwall. The Cornish economy also depends heavily on its successful tourist industry, which contributes 12% of Cornwall's GDP and supports about 1 in 5 jobs. Tourism contributed £1.85 billion to the Cornish economy in 2011.

CHAOS Radio is a non-profit, community radio station. The radio station is funded by a combination of grants from the National Lottery and the Arts Council, alongside a small amount of commercial advertising and sponsorship. Partners include the Eden Project, the Lost Gardens of Heligan, and the Cornish Guardian. All of the partners present shows on the station, alongside the regular DJs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flora and fauna of Cornwall</span>

Cornwall is the county that forms the tip of the southwestern peninsula of England; this area has a mild and warm climate regulated by the Gulf Stream. The mild climate allows rich plant cover, such as palm trees in the far south and west of the county and in the Isles of Scilly, due to sub-tropical conditions in the summer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heligan estate</span>

The Heligan estate was the ancestral home of the Tremayne family near Mevagissey in Cornwall, England. Purchased by Sampson Tremayne in 1569, the present house was built in 1692 and extended in the early 19th century. The family left the house after World War I, and by the end of World War II the house and gardens had fallen into disrepair. The house and outbuilding were converted into flats in the 1970s and the garden was considered lost, but it was rescued during a televised project in 1996. The Lost Gardens of Heligan are now open to the public as a tourist attraction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Tremayne (1825–1901)</span>

John Tremayne (1825–1901) was a member of a landed family in the English county of Cornwall, and owner of the Heligan estate near Mevagissey. At various times, he was a member of the UK Parliament for the constituencies of East Cornwall and South Devon, and High Sheriff of Cornwall. He was also the third of four successive members of the Tremayne family who are credited with the creation of the gardens around Heligan House that are now well known as the Lost Gardens of Heligan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Hawkins Tremayne</span>

The Reverend Henry Hawkins Tremayne (1741–1829) was a member of a landed family in the English county of Cornwall, and owner of the Heligan estate near Mevagissey, with significant interests in the Cornish tin mining industry. He is credited as initiating the creation of the set of gardens around Heligan House that are now well known as the Lost Gardens of Heligan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Whalley</span>

Andrew David Whalley is an architect registered in the United Kingdom and United States of America. His speciality is ecological design. In 2011, he was named Deputy Chairman of the international architecture firm Grimshaw Architects. He became chairman in 2019.

Todd Gray FRHistS, MBE is a historian of the county of Devon, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Cornwall</span> Overview of and topical guide to Cornwall

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Cornwall: Cornwall – ceremonial county and unitary authority area of England within the United Kingdom. Cornwall is a peninsula bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall is also a royal duchy of the United Kingdom. It has an estimated population of half a million and it has its own distinctive history and culture.

Presented below is an alphabetical index of articles related to Cornwall:

References

  1. ↑ "Birthdays". The Guardian . Guardian News & Media. 25 September 2014. p. 43.
  2. ↑ Nicolson, Adam (24 February 2001). "Brave new worlds". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 17 April 2022.(subscription required)
  3. ↑ Smit, Tim (27 October 2009). "Three men who changed me". The Guardian . Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  4. 1 2 "TIM SMIT KBE, SIR | Co-Founder of the Eden Project". Personally Speaking Bureau. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.[ self-published source? ]
  5. ↑ "Re-creating the Garden of Eden" (PDF). FST Journal. 18 (2). London: The Foundation for Science and Technology: 6–7. December 2003. ISSN   1475-1704 . Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  6. ↑ Jeff Gill (7 October 2003). "Lord Lloyd of Kilgerran Award Lecture – Summary" (PDF). Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  7. ↑ "Business television show - Celebrity Entrepreneurs 5: What it takes to succeed". www.yourbusinesschannel.com. Archived from the original on 29 September 2009.
  8. ↑ "Social Enterprise Ambassadors". The National Archives . Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  9. ↑ "Honorary knighthood for Eden Project boss". BBC News . 20 January 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  10. ↑ "No. 60173". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 June 2012. p. 32.
  11. ↑ "Faculty of Management celebrates its new 2016 graduates". Bournemouth University . 9 November 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  12. ↑ Clark, Daniel (20 July 2020). "Surf lake beside the M5 in Devon is getting closer". DevonLive. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  13. ↑ "Eden Project heads "Westwood" into Devon". Eden Project (Press release). 4 December 2014.[ dead link ]
  14. ↑ "Eden Project's Tim Smit plans cookery school in Lostwithiel". BBC News. 19 January 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  15. ↑ "Celebrities' open letter to Scotland – full text and list of signatories". The Guardian. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  16. ↑ Elgot, Jessica (24 April 2015). "Celebrities sign statement of support for Caroline Lucas – but not the Greens". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  17. ↑ "Tim Smit (1954-)". National Portrait Gallery. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011.
  18. ↑ "portrait of Tim Smit (2009)". jonedgar.co.uk. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  19. ↑ "Damages win for Eden co-founder". BBC News. 17 June 2004. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  20. ↑ Morris, Steven (16 February 2022). "Eden Project co-founder under fire for rant about Cornish people". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
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