Reviving the Tradition of Giant-Making
Have you ever wanted to create your own enormous effigy? One Cornish art collective has revitalized this ancient practice and now seeks to involve the public in their creative efforts.
This New Year’s Eve, environmentalist and author Schneidau experienced something she had never encountered before. She welcomed 2026 surrounded by giants.
“At a certain time of the evening, they started appearing from all over the town. Then everyone flooded out of their houses and congregated into a massive procession of giants and lights and drums and music. It was absolutely extraordinary.”
Schneidau’s magical experience took place in Lostwithiel, the Cornish hometown of the art collective The Lost Giants (TLG), a group of craftspeople and artists dedicated to reviving the British tradition of creating giants, beasties, and goliaths. The giants she celebrated with were constructed from wooden frames, cloth, papier-mâché, and card, yet they were imbued with vibrant life.
Historical Roots and Contemporary Revival
In medieval times, it was common for workers’ guilds and villages across the UK to craft enormous mascots. Today, driven by a renewed interest in community activism, folk traditions, and craft, these processional giants are experiencing a spirited resurgence. In recent years, TLG has created giants for events ranging from the annual Lostwithiel carnival in Cornwall to a harvest procession at Hauser & Wirth’s Somerset gallery. This month, the collective has issued a public callout inviting environmental groups interested in collaborating to create their own unique beastie.
Founded three years ago by theatre designer Ruth Webb and her sister-in-law Amy Webb, a designer and illustrator, TLG has grown to include Schneidau, who joined last year after a career with various wildlife trusts. Ruth has a deep personal connection to giants, having lived with one since childhood. Her father, John Webb, managed the Lostwithiel carnival for many years and, inspired by European festivals, commissioned a giant named Peter from Michael and Wendy Dacre of the theatre company Raven Tales. Peter was the first giant to parade the streets of Lostwithiel on New Year’s Eve in 1990.
European Influences and British Traditions
Processional giants have long been part of British culture—the Salisbury Giant, created by a tailors’ guild in 1603, is the UK’s oldest existing giant. Ruth believes the current revival was influenced by European cultural exchange programs in the 1980s.
“Town twinning meant that British people saw traditional village giants come over from Spain and France,”she explains.
“Dorset and Cornwall became a stronghold for making these statuesque giants, full of human character. At the same time a lot of British outdoor theatre companies, such as Welfare State International, were riffing off the agitprop theatre popular in the Americas, using puppets and creatures to make political statements.”
TLG’s creations blend these influences with the folklore revival that has permeated British culture. The collective has crafted an uncanny sisal mountain goat named Ooelle, who sports a third eye and enjoys festival processions. They have also brought Old Crockern, the vengeful spirit of Dartmoor, to life using plaited reeds from the River Dart, as well as a squadron of animals—including fish, squirrels, and geese—that marched on St Paul’s Cathedral in October 2024 to urge the Church of England to commit to rewilding some of its land.
TLG’s giants are traditionally made by groups of local people and artists who pool their skills, materials, and ideas. However, these creations often carry modern ecological and activist messages.
“For those that don’t have a large voice or who feel lost or helpless, giants can show our collective desires and strength,”says Ruth.
“Just the scale of them allows us to think past ourselves as individuals. I think there’s a need for that at the moment. Adopting a persona or putting on a mask lets us behave differently and say the unsayable in the folk world – a processional creature has the same effect.”
Old Crockern and Environmental Activism
Schneidau met Ruth at a community event and reflected on Old Crockern’s impact during the campaign:
“Crockern at the protest was like this silent witness. It gave personhood and agency to the land.”
This year, TLG received a grant from the Ffern Folk Foundation, which it is using to create the Big Folk Archive—an online photo archive of giants hosted on its website—and to fund a new giant for an environmental campaign group based in the southwest. The collective is currently seeking applicants.
“It’s quite an unusual question in today’s world, but we need them to explain why a giant would be important to their group,”Schneidau explains.
“We’ve been approached by people cleaning up their local river or trying to save woodland, and we ask them: ‘What’s the spirit of your land?’”
Ruth emphasizes the importance of community involvement:
“It has to be about a community. Making a giant offers a really different space. We’re making something together, we’re bonding, which is really important for any campaign, isn’t it? That you like each other enough to put all the slogging hours in than it takes.”
Groups interested in applying for a giant can visit The Lost Giants’ website for more information.
