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Standing Stone / Menhir
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I read about this stone in a little book of Penwith monuments I bought a few years ago. Visited 19 June 2021 at the end of a very pleasant beach and cliffs walk from Godrevy Sandshifter to Hayle Towans.
After leaving the coast, we head past Phillack Church and the Bucket of Blood to the point where the road bends sharply south-east. From here, a path heads north-east then north through a scrubby wood and out onto the dunes. The stone is reasonably easy to find, next to a fence separating the open dunes from a house and garden. It's a nicely tapering 7 foot+ granite monolith, partially covered in hairy lichen.
Looking at the angular edges, my feeling is that it's more likely to be medieval or post-medieval than prehistoric, although its tall height would be unusual for a boundary stone of that type. There are other boundary stones nearby, none of which come close to the height of this one. The Cornwall & Scilly HER says:Boundary stone. A tall block of granite, about 7 foot above ground, about 1 foot in section, tapering to a point. Possibly a re-used menhir. The stone marks the bounds of Phillack Towans and Kernick Towans and is indicated on the 1842 Tithe Map. Its height, shape and tapering form suggest an early medieval or prehistoric origin, if not always in this location, certainly here for some time. After a bit of wandering about in the towering dunes, the sky takes a turn for black and the sunshine of earlier is replaced by a swift rain front, so we beat a hasty retreat back to Hayle before the soaking arrives.
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Posted by thesweetcheat
17th April 2022ce
Edited 17th April 2022ce
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