Mud Maid — Sue and Pete Hill
Living sculpture by Sue and Pete Hill, 1997 · Woodland Walk, Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall, England
Photo: Daderot / Wikimedia Commons (CC0), 30 May 2016 (camera date). Full photograph shown; resized for display. The Street Art Utopia post shows her in summer and under snow.
The Mud Maid sleeps beside the Woodland Walk at the Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall, one of the three woodland sculptures the garden calls iconic. Heligan, Woodland page Checked Heligan credits the Cornish brother-and-sister artists Sue and Pete Hill; My Modern Met reports that she was installed in 1997, while the gardens were being restored. Heligan, 2 Oct 2025 · My Modern Met, 11 Jun 2020 Reported
4 things to know
- A mermaid without a tailShe was first planned as a kind of mermaid. The plan changed when a member of the restoration team called her a mud maid (“doncella de lodo” in the Spanish article), and the tail was dropped. My Modern Met, 11 Jun 2020 Reported
- Built on estate scrapsInstead of a root ball, she was formed around a wooden frame made from scraps found on the estate; straw, cement and clay were used to shape a mesh that was stapled to the frame. My Modern Met, 11 Jun 2020 Reported
- Ivy and mossIvy covers her body and moss climbs over her face, so she changes with the light and the seasons. My Modern Met, 11 Jun 2020 Reported
- A Heligan way of makingIn 2025, unveiling a new fox by the same artists, Heligan wrote that re-using materials available on the estate “reflects the processes used in the creation of the Mud Maid and Giant’s Head”. Heligan, 2 Oct 2025 Checked
Where to see it
- 📍
- On the Woodland Walk at the Lost Gardens of Heligan, near St Austell, Cornwall; the garden lists the Mud Maid there with the Giant’s Head and the Grey Lady. Heligan, Woodland page Checked
- 🎟️
- She is inside the gardens, so a Heligan ticket is needed; check opening times on the garden’s site. Heligan, Woodland page Checked
Sightings
- 201630 May
Photographed by Daderot
- 202011 Jun
My Modern Met on how she was made
- 202522 Jul
Visit report with photo · Walking Ways
- 20252 Oct
Heligan names her makers
Every stamp links to its source. The green stamp is a dated photograph (camera date). Amber stamps are reports; the newest visit report, published on 22 July 2025 with a photograph of her, sets the status stamp.
On the record
Leaping fox sculpture lands at Heligan
“Sue and Pete were also behind the gardens’ beloved Mud Maid, Giant’s Head and Grey Lady sculptures.”
Este jardín inglés tiene increíbles esculturas vivas que cambian con las estaciones
“La otra estrella de los jardines es Mud Maid, que originalmente había sido pensada como una especie de sirena.”
English: “The other star of the gardens is Mud Maid, which was originally conceived as a kind of mermaid.”
Finding the Lost Gardens of Heligan
“We planned it so that our route to the exit took in the Grey Lady (quite lost in the undergrowth), the Mud Maid (enchanting), and the Giant’s Head.”
The facts
- Title
- Mud Maid; Heligan’s Woodland page also spells it “Mudmaid”. Heligan, Woodland page · Heligan, 2 Oct 2025 Checked
- Artists
- Sue and Pete Hill, a Cornish brother-and-sister team. Heligan, 2 Oct 2025 · My Modern Met, 11 Jun 2020 Checked
- Year
- 1997, while the gardens were being restored. My Modern Met, 11 Jun 2020 Reported
- Place
- Woodland Walk, the Lost Gardens of Heligan, near St Austell, Cornwall, England. Heligan, Woodland page · Walking Ways, 22 Jul 2025 Checked
- How it was made
- A wooden frame made from scraps found on the estate, with a mesh shaped from straw, cement and clay stapled to it. My Modern Met, 11 Jun 2020 Reported
- Planting
- Ivy on the body, moss on the face. My Modern Met, 11 Jun 2020 Reported
- Status
- A visitor’s account published on 22 July 2025, with a photograph, describes passing her on the way out; Heligan’s undated Woodland page still lists her. Walking Ways, 22 Jul 2025 · Heligan, Woodland page Checked
- Our photo
- Daderot, 30 May 2016 (camera date), released as CC0. Daderot / Wikimedia Commons Checked
Related
- People Made of Plants (10 Photos): the SAU collection with the Mud Maid
- Mud Maid – Living sculpture by Sue and Pete Hill: the Mud Maid in summer and winter on SAU
- Giant’s Head: the Artwork File for the Hills’ other figure on the same walk
All sources (6)
Official
- Lost Gardens of Heligan: “Woodland at The Lost Gardens of Heligan”, undated page. Lists The Giant’s Head, Mud Maid and Grey Lady along the Woodland Walk.
- Lost Gardens of Heligan: “Leaping fox sculpture lands at Heligan”, 2 October 2025. Sue and Pete Hill, a Cornish brother and sister team, made the Mud Maid, Giant’s Head and Grey Lady; re-using Heligan materials reflects how the Mud Maid and Giant’s Head were made.
Press
- My Modern Met (Spanish edition): “Este jardín inglés tiene increíbles esculturas vivas que cambian con las estaciones”, 11 June 2020. Installed in 1997 during the restoration; how the Giant’s Head and the Mud Maid were built and planted; the Giant’s Head’s 2012 steel frame; the Mud Maid’s mermaid origin.
- Walking Ways UK: “Finding the Lost Gardens of Heligan”, 22 July 2025. A visitor’s account; the route out took in the Grey Lady, the Mud Maid and the Giant’s Head.
Photos
- Wikimedia Commons: photograph by Daderot, 30 May 2016 (camera date), CC0 1.0.
Street Art Utopia
- Street Art Utopia: “People Made of Plants (10 Photos)”, 20 October 2026. The SAU post with this work.
Artwork File · Last checked 20 October 2026 · Certainty labels follow How We Verify Art · All Artwork Files