Visited 23 June 2023.
After leaving Roskruge Beacon, we headed northwest along more winding lanes past the imposing gates of Roskruge Barton. A footpath leads across a ploughed field, thankfully bone dry after a prolonged dry spell, up a gentle slope towards the site of the fogou.
I was completely unaware of either the Time Team dig here, or the ongoing excavations, so was really just hoping for some kind of glimpse of something in the corner of the field. Instead, we arrive to an active site, with two archaeologists (Peter Seabrook and David Clifton of the Meneage Archaeology Group) braving the baking heat to uncover yet more of this amazing site.
With no prompting, we get invited onto the site to see what they’re working on, and are given access to both the exposed main passage and also the scaffolding-propped tunnel to the west. It’s really impressive. The main passage is roofless but otherwise very well-preserved. It has a very unusual right-angled bend in it, beyond which a surviving lintel stone lies fallen across the passageway. The partly dug tunnel off to the west appears to be rock- or rab-cut. Back on ground level, we’re shown the tantalising end of another blocked tunnel and void to the north of the main passage. This apparently is a second rab-cut passage running from the fogou to the outer enclosure ditch and is likely to have been the ‘artificial cave’ reported by the Rev Polwhele in 1803. The Iron Age enclosure ditch is currently filled in, but was itself very deep and enclosed the whole fogou site. It’s terrific to see this second passage in the process of being encovered.
Peter shows us some of the pottery finds from the site. What a brilliant stroke of luck to find the site being worked on and to get such a great reception.
We’re pointed off in the general direction of the settlement site to the northwest. Much of this is unworked, with only some shallow trenches in place. We’re asked to stay out of the dig site, which we readily agree to. From here we carry on northwest along the footpath, which promptly vanishes and leaves us to improvise an exit from the next field.
I had intended to visit the Tremenhere standing stone today, but time at the fogou means that we no longer have long enough to get there before the infrequent bus back to Helston. It can wait for another day, this has been more than enough reward for the little effort involved in our visit.
Postscript: Since our visit in June 2023, the rock-cut northern tunnel has been fully dug out, and the fallen lintel stone we saw in the bottom of the main passage has now been lifted back into place (see link to video).
Stroke of luck, that.
It really was. Obviously if I'd done any research prior to going I would have know they are digging here every summer, but that would require planning!