The Lost Giants revive British processional giant tradition with ecological activism
The Lost Giants (TLG), established three years ago by Ruth Webb, a theatre designer, and her sister-in-law Amy Webb, is a unique art collective based in Cornwall that revitalizes the tradition of making processional giants in Britain. On New Year's Eve 2025, environmentalist Lisa Schneidau took part in a giant procession in Lostwithiel, showcasing TLG's wooden, cloth, and papier-mâché creations. They've designed giants for various occasions, including an annual lantern parade and a harvest event at Hauser & Wirth's Somerset gallery. Their work combines medieval traditions with modern ecological activism, evident in their giant Old Crockern, which protested against wild camping bans in 2023. Recently, they've received funding to create the Big Folk Archive and support a new giant for an environmental campaign in the southwest.
Key facts
- The Lost Giants (TLG) is a Cornish art collective reviving British processional giant-making.
- TLG was founded three years ago by theatre designer Ruth Webb and designer-illustrator Amy Webb.
- On New Year's Eve 2025, environmentalist Lisa Schneidau participated in a giant procession in Lostwithiel, Cornwall.
- TLG's giants are made from wooden frames, cloth, papier-mâché, and card.
- TLG created Old Crockern, a guardian spirit of Dartmoor, for protests against wild camping bans in 2023.
- In October 2024, TLG's animal giants marched on St Paul's Cathedral to demand Church of England rewilding.
- TLG received a grant from the Ffern Folk Foundation for the Big Folk Archive and a new giant for an environmental group.
- The revival of processional giants is linked to 1980s European cultural exchange programs and British outdoor theatre companies like Welfare State International.
Entities
Artists
- Ruth Webb
- Amy Webb
- Lisa Schneidau
- John Webb
- Michael Dacre
- Wendy Dacre
Institutions
- The Lost Giants (TLG)
- Hauser & Wirth
- Ffern Folk Foundation
- Welfare State International
- Raven Tales
- Church of England
- St Paul's Cathedral
Locations
- Lostwithiel
- Cornwall
- United Kingdom
- Dartmoor
- Somerset
- Dorset
- Spain
- France
- Americas