Portheras Common Barrow

Nearest town:
Penzance (8km E)
OS reference:
SW391333
OS sheet:
203
Latitude:
50° 8' 29.89 N
Longitude:
5° 39' 7.12 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Portheras Common Barrow (Round Cairn) by Chris Bond

Portheras Barrow on Woon Gumpus Common, photographed from the south-south-west on 5 May 2003. © Chris Bond.

Image credit: Chris Bond
Chris Bond
Chris Bond Dec 10, 2023
Image of Portheras Common Barrow (Round Cairn) by Chris Bond

Portheras Barrow on Woon Gumpus Common, photographed from the south-west on 5 May 2003. © Chris Bond.

Image credit: Chris Bond
Chris Bond
Chris Bond Dec 10, 2023
Image of Portheras Common Barrow (Round Cairn) by Chris Bond

Portheras Barrow on Woon Gumpus Common, photographed from the east on 5 May 2003. © Chris Bond.

Image credit: Chris Bond
Chris Bond
Chris Bond Dec 10, 2023
Image of Portheras Common Barrow (Round Cairn) by thesweetcheat

Looking southeast towards Boswens Croft. The menhir can be seen on the skyline from here, to the left of the air traffic control installation.

Image credit: A. Brookes (22.10.2020)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Jul 28, 2021
Image of Portheras Common Barrow (Round Cairn) by thesweetcheat

Looking east. Watch Croft is far left, Chun Castle to the right of that (with Chun Quoit just visible between the two), the Ding Dong engine house can be seen on the centre skyline.

Image credit: A. Brookes (22.10.2020)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Jul 28, 2021
Image of Portheras Common Barrow (Round Cairn) by thesweetcheat

Looking northeast. The hills on the skyline are Watch Croft (cairns and standing stone) and Chun Castle (hillfort).

Image credit: A. Brookes (24.6.2016)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Jul 28, 2016
Image of Portheras Common Barrow (Round Cairn) by thesweetcheat

This year’s CASPN clear-up has revealed more of the stonework of the mound itself.

Image credit: A. Brookes (22.6.2012)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Jul 24, 2012
Image of Portheras Common Barrow (Round Cairn) by thesweetcheat

Portheras Common barrow is now cared for by CASPN, whose invaluable work keeps many of West Penwith’s sites clear and maintained. A path has been cut through the gorse, making for a much less painful visit than in past years (see Moth’s pictures).

Image credit: A. Brookes (22.6.2012)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Jul 24, 2012
Image of Portheras Common Barrow (Round Cairn) by thesweetcheat

The barrow is already starting to disappear under summer vegetation, a month on from Chris’ visit.

Image credit: A. Brookes (15.6.2010)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Jul 15, 2010
Image of Portheras Common Barrow (Round Cairn) by Moth

It was a hell of a fight to even reach sight of the chamber stones!

Image credit: Tim Clark
Moth
Moth Mar 29, 2004
Image of Portheras Common Barrow (Round Cairn) by Moth

Still can’t believe how overgrown this place was – in March! Some of the stones were pretty big, esp if as it appeared, they were kerbstones....

Image credit: Tim Clark
Moth
Moth Mar 29, 2004
Image of Portheras Common Barrow (Round Cairn) by Moth

The overgrown barrow-mound looking NW – it’s the drier looking area mid pic, with a green bush ‘on top’ and large (kerb?)stone on the near edge

Image credit: Tim Clark
Moth
Moth Mar 29, 2004

Articles

Portheras Common Barrow

thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Aug 25, 2010

We head east off the moor and, on reaching Boslow Stone, swing north along a little track. Still almost hidden, in a triangle of land next to the track is Portheras Common barrow. I have looked for it before but always been defeated, but Chrisbird’s photos from earlier in the year have given me fresh heart and sure enough, the barrow has been freed from the mess of undergrowth for the first time in years. This is a terrific little barrow, with a near-complete kerb and a central chamber/cist still boasting its capstone. Already the vegetation is growing back, brambles are trailing the barrow and patches of purple-ish campion sprout around the centre and the lovely Cornish foxgloves are doing their thing nearby as well. But it’s great to finally see this barrow, especially to see how well-preserved it is.

Miscellaneous

Portheras Common Barrow
Round Cairn
pure joy
pure joy Feb 19, 2003

Marked on the Explorer map 102 as a ‘cairn’. In a small triangular moorland plot beside the Trewellard branch of the B3318 near its junction with the Pendeen branch of the same road.

This is what Craig Weatherhill says in his book ‘Belerion: Ancient Sites of Land’s End’ (Cornwall Books, 1981)...“A very fine barrow, 12.2m in diameter and 0.8m high, with much of its stone kerb remaining. In the centre of the mound is a well preserved burial cist 1.2m long and 0.6m wide, roofed by a heavy capstone some 1.8m long. It is believed to have been excavated by W.C.Borlase, and a cupped stone (present whereabouts unknown) probably came from this barrow.”

Sites within 20km of Portheras Common Barrow

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