Viewed from the road this looks like a little bus shelter. We had to laugh when we got up close the dear little stone looked so cosy in his little house. The stone has a latin inscription on one side so it looks likely that this stone has been reveared since at least the 5th or 6th centuries. Other sources say it could have been a re-used standing stone from the Bronze age. It stands at the head of a stream. The sign board inside states that the little hut was erected in 1906 for protection.
phil
Whilst driving towards Luxulyan from Lanivet this huge arse appeared over the hedge. After nearly crashing the car I stopped in a layby and stared in wonder......surely this was a place of worship?
Had no trouble finding these. Left the car in layby opposite the “Rocky valley gallery” and followed footpath signs down the valley crossed over a footbridge across a fast running stream. The carving were just behind the ruins of the old mills about 100 metres after the bridge. Also guided by strips of cloths and other rubbish hanging from the trees around the site. This spoilt an otherwise idlic setting.
Hanging of cloth is quite common at certain holy wells in Cornwall but I was surprised to see it here. There is no tradition on of healing wells or trees at this site perhaps visitors were influenced by displays of cloth on trees at the the nearby Witchcraft museum in Boscastle.
The sign at the site claims that the carvings Bronze-age but there is heavy debate that the carvings could have been carved by a “bored miller”. Perhaps they are ancient but more that one historian has pointed out the that work seems to have been carried out with a tool similiar to the ones used by millwright.
No other carvings of this type are found in Cornwall.
A site full of a mystery and well worth a visit. (Don’t let the miller theory put you off).
12 jan 2003
Took the route from stannon circle and thought that the Louden circle would appear before us as we reached the crest of the hill.....wrong!
The circle would easily be missed if wasn’t for the map we had with us. There seems to be about 4 what you could call standing stones (stumps) and the rest are more or less stones on the ground.
Had trouble tracing the shape also. Just to confuse things stones seem to stick out of the ground all over the place many are obviously cairns there are also some stone banks that aren’t marked on OS maps. Unfortunately didnt have time to travel down to Fernacre which would have been an circle within easy reach if we had time (maybe another day)
Visited these after tip off from Johan.
After crossing on the passenger ferry from Fowey, we walked along the narrow (& steep!) road out of Polruan for half a mile till we came to the fork in the road after a further 200 metres along the right fork, you can see the first big stone on the left hand side. Looking down the the right you can see the smaller stone near the edge of the field.
They are unlike any other stones I have seen in Cornwall.
I saw 2 other similar stones in neighbouring fields of a similar type.
I also found some similar stones in the hedges around the fields.
The stones are mentioned in Robin Payne’s book which I use for alot of my references.
He says that in 1813 the first ordnance survey map for this area shows a mound at SX141510 which is just to the south of these stones. Could this be the source of these strange stones?
While looking at the Essa stones 1 and 2, I found a stump (“Essa 3”) in the field to the east. It looks very similar to the other two apart from the fact that it’s much more squat.
Again no mention on the map and NO mention in Robin Payne’s book.
If this is an ancient stone then I claim it!
Phil’s stump! :o)
“Essa 4” – Noticed this from the roadside on the way to visit the Essa stones. It looks lighter that the Essa stones so may be a spar stone.
I thought it may be a rubbing post but why is it so close to the hedge when most rubbing posts are in the middle of the field?
The pic I took was using the full zoom on my camera.
Lack of access prevents closer examination.
This site is not far from the Eden project.
A very pleasant walk thru the woods but unfortunately the site is on private property. I did try driving around to get a good view from a nearby hillside but you still can’t beat an aerial view of this type of site.
Anyone have a helicopter handy?
have a look from above at....
uk.multimap.com/map/photo.cgi?client=europe&x=206000&y=56000&scale=10000&width=700&height=410&gride=205900&gridn=55700
If you’ve ever been to Newquay you’ve probably driven past this site. It’s on the hill just above the river Gannel.
It’s called a round on the map, but looks to me more like a big hairy eyebrow.
It was quite difficult to get a good view of it but by driving around in carparks and housing estates on the hill opposite the river I was able to get a few clear shots of it.
i know it was excavated a few yaers back and there is a report on it somewhere.
What I love about looking out these kind of sites is knowing that so many people know nothing about its existance. Even people living in the houses looking down to the river.
(I’ll get get me anorak)
I passed this site totally by chance.
I just noticed it over a hedge as I approach the clapper bridge at Delford.
I took several photos with zoom lense from the road side.
Looking at the stone from different angles it looks to me like a fallen Quoit stone, other stones scattered around it would add weight to this theory.
Looking on the map I found that the neighbouring farms go by the names
Penquite, South Penquite, Best Penquite, Higher Penquite and Lower Penquite
“Pen” = Hill or Head “quite” could be a corruption of quoit
hence: Quoit on the hill
Anyone agree?
Phil
What a site.
Different from any other!
If you want come by car, we managed to park near the end of the road at Casehill or if you want to come from the south you should be able to pull over on the road that crosses Emblance downs leading towards the water works.
The route from all directions is quite dry under foot.
(Mind you, the footpath from Lower Candra looked a bit sticky)
Tricky one to get to due to fences, stone hedges and cattle.
I was visiting Arthurs hall and it was too close to miss out.
Much more impressive than the ruined circle on Arthurs downs.
footnote
I’m not sure on the rights of access but I didn’t cause any damage or frighten any animals. There is gate to the field from the west, (which I found on the way out).
Didn’t have time to get close to the site but got some reasonable photies from the roadside.
I see on the map there is a footpath that runs directly besides the wood so may be worth a visit in the future.
The whole area is made up of gorgeous rolling fields, woods and scattered farms.
Even a non-drood would enjoy a walk here!
“Car” or “Caer” in Cornish is a place name from the Celtic “ker” meaning fort. You will also find Caer place names in Wales. In Brittany they use the spelling “Ker”
Caer Dane has no public access but you can get a reasonable view from the road that leads from Perranzabuloe to the fantastically named vilage of Ventongimps.
The small fort sits nicely on the hilltop and is covered with trees in the distance you can also see the larger wooded site of Caer Kief.
Another of the sites you wouldn’t know about unless you flew over it.
Just of the roadside between Goonhavern and Perranporth.
Don’t look for any sign posts though (You won’t find any)
WOW! someone in their infinate wisdom drove a road straight thru this one. (Not recently though)
You wouldn’t know its there if you han’t noticed on the map.
I have driven thru this site soo many times without realising the history a ROUND me!
Another LAAARGE barrow.
This one is on on the edge of Cubert Common. The site is owned by the the National Trust and even has it’s own little car park.
The views from the top are stunning. You can see Castle an dinas to the north-east and St Agnes Beacon to the South west.
The Common is great place to walk your dog/kids/horse etc.
Totally destroyed, only a grass covered long depression remains.
This feature is cool, you can actually lie inside it like a granite coffin.
I visited this site a few years back. I was maning a check point for an orienteering event.
Spent about 3 hours here. Even had a snooze in it!
Easily reached from Roughtor carpark.
Head towards the left most peak.
This strange weathered granite formation is like a mini Cheesewring.
themodernantiquarian.com/browse.php?site_id=298
The site is natural but is completely surrounded by an ancient ring cairn of granite stones. There is also evidence of hut circles and ancient field enclosures all over the place. Nice views too
Helsbury Castle or Beacon is a fine circular earthwork. Looks like it could be Iron Age.
It has a square ruin in the centre said to be the remains of a medieval chapel.
The site is 684 feet above the sea and is sometimes called St. Syth’s beacon.
The chapel must be pretty old as it was in already in ruins when William of Worcester visited it in1478.
It reminds me very much of Knowlton Henge in Dorset which also has a religious building plonked in the middle.
themodernantiquarian.com/browse.php?site_id=44#post-2117
Great views of Roughtor to the north-east.
Known locally as the fogou, this narrow cave is situated about a mile inland from Porthcothan beach
The low entrance to the cave is halfway up the valley side on the right. It’s very well hidden in bracken and gorse in the summer. I’m not totally sure that public access is permitted as it is on farmland. (Find a friendly local who may know the way)
The site has been used in the past for smuggling and also as a hide-out during the Civil war.
There are notches near the mouth, into which smugglers lodged a beam of timber; they then heaped earth against the beam and covered the pile with furze to hide the entrance. The tunnel supposedly led to a farm half a mile away
Although some may say it is cave, on the 1888 map of Cornwall it is marked “fogou”
see the 1888 map online at old-maps.co.uk/
In the Co-ordinate box type:- 186461,71394
and click – search
A complete Iron Age village!
I first visited this site on a school trip in the late 1970’s
It can be described as a classic site, the largest of the courtyard house villages, and one of the finest prehistoric villages to be found anywhere in Britain.
This site is well signposted and reached by the back road to New Mill which leaves the B3311 at Badgers Cross.
Loved this site! Very easy to reach from the roadside although no direction signs .Very peaceful place only saw 2 other people. The church and henge are very accessable grass is kept very short. Earlier in the day we visited Badbury Rings hoping to find peace but found a heaving carpark and hoards of people walking off their Christmas dinners!
It seems the early Christians made a habit of taking over the old religious sites such as Knowlton Henge. This could be blamed on Pope Gregory who in 601 C.E. said..
“The temples of the idols in the said country ought not to be broken; but the idols alone which be in them . . . If the said temples be well built, it is needful that they be altered from the worshipping of devils into the service of the true God.”
The is a good article on this subject at..
watchtower.org/library/w/1999/3/15/article_01.htm
As you can guess from the URL, the site is Official Web Site of Jehovah’s Witnesses! but it makes interesting reading whatever you chose to believe.
Kernow Phil
¼ mile west of Sancreed church, through the farmyard opposite the church and follow a path which swings north to a small
An enchanted site with a very impressive well, reached down a flight of steps. There is room to stand upright underground, next to the water.
Adjacent to the well are the remains of a chapel; the walls are about 4 feet high and several carved stones are lying around. A modern cross stands nearby.
The site is very atmospheric and has an air of sanctity lacking at other more famous sites.
Details snipped from...
bath.ac.uk/lispring/sourcearchive/fs3/fs3lh1.htm
Reached by taking an overgrown track leading westward onto Tredinney Common from the Iron Age settlement at Carn Euny near Brane, two miles west of Sancreed. As this path begins to widen, after about 100 yards, the well is immediately on the left.
It consists of a flight of steps leading down to a clear spring in a stone lined recess with a large granite capstone.
Another smaller well lined with four large granite slabs lies a few feet to the north west and carved stones from the chapel which once stood here may be seen in the surrounding undergrowth.
Services were held at the well chapel during the 18th century and the site has only been neglected since then. The stonework of the well is still in a good condition.
A Bronze Age Enclosure. The Bank and ditch, which are about 30 metres across and are well defined.
No public right of access but the site can be seen from the road through the gate which is only a few metres from the South West edge.
Barely visable it seems to have virtually sunk in the peat!
Easily approached by a public footpath from the lane between Pencarrow and Moorgate.
A tall (nearly 3 metres tall) granite stone stone with extensive views to west and south.
Just a couple of miles from Camelford.
This is the highest stone on the moor.
In Cornish ‘HYR’ means ‘Long’ and ‘Ven’ means stone.
The stone once marked the boundary of Predannick moor.
It has since been encompassed by a housing estate. It now sits nicely in a shrubbery in someones back garden.
Can be viewed from the roadside.
On the road from St. Clear to the Hurlers. A Christianised menhir?
The most phallic of all Cornish menhirs!
The large unworked stone was shown as a boundary marker on the 1840 tithe map. It was erected in it’s present position in 1932 by the Royal Cornwall Society in 1932.
Easy access. Can be found to the south of the airfield. It stands in a side road, slow down as you drive along because you may easily miss this one.