Cornish Heritage

The English Heritage organisation exists to protect and promote England's historic environment and ensure that its past is researched and understood. The following are some of the most spectactual and best preserved of these ancient sites in Cornwall, with links for more information from English Heritage.

Ballowall Barrow Carn Gloose, St Just.
	In a spectacular position, this is an unusual Bronze Age chambered tomb with a complex layout. It includes an entrance grave and a series of cists (burial chambers).
Notes: English Heritage. Disabled access: Probably no facility for disabled access. Dogs allowed.
Get there by: By Car: 1 mile W of St Just near Carn Gloose. Map Ref: SW 354313. By Bus: First Western National service 11/A Penzance - St Just, then 1 mile. By Train: Penzance 8 miles. By Cycle see web map: www.sustrans.co.uk

Carn Euny Ancient Village Sancreed, Penzance.
	Among the best preserved ancient villages in the south-west, occupied from Iron Age until late Roman times. It includes the foundations of stone houses, and an intriguing 'fogou' underground passage. The site is located 600 metres walk from the car park in in Brane. Managed by the Cornwall Heritage Trust.
Notes: English Heritage. Disabled access: Probably no facility for disabled access. Dogs allowed.
Get there by: By Car: 1 1/4 miles SW of Sancreed off A30. Map Ref: OS Map 203; ref SW 402289. By Bus: First Western National service 17/A Penzance - St Just to within 2 miles. By Train: Penzance 6 miles. By Cycle see web map: www.sustrans.co.uk
Visit Carn Euny Web Site: www.english-heritage.org.uk

Chysauster Ancient Village Gulval, Penzance.
	This Celtic settlement was originally occupied almost 2,000 years ago. The 'village' consisted of eight stone-walled homesteads known as 'courtyard houses', which are only found on the Land's End peninsula and the Isles of Scilly. Each house had an open central courtyard surrounded by a number of thatched rooms. The houses form one of the oldest village streets in the country.
Notes: English Heritage. Disabled access: Probably no facility for disabled access. Parking. Dogs allowed. Tours.
Get there by: By Car: 2 1/2 miles NW of Gulval off B3311. Map Ref: OS Map 203; ref SW 473350. By Train: Penzance 3 1/2 miles. By Cycle see web map: www.sustrans.co.uk.
Visit Chysauster Web Site: www.english-heritage.org.uk

Dupath Well Callington.
	This charming and almost complete well-house of c. 1500 stands over an ancient holy well, believed to cure whooping cough. Built of granite blocks, it houses the remains of an immersion bath for cure-seekers. Managed by the Cornwall Heritage Trust.
Notes: English Heritage. Disabled access: Probably no facility for disabled access. Dogs allowed.
Get there by: By Car: 1 mile E of Callington off A388. Map Ref: OS Map 201; ref SX 374693. By Bus: Gunnislake 4 1/2 mile. By Train: Gunnislake 4 1/2 mile. By Cycle see web map: www.sustrans.co.uk.
Visit Dupath Web Site: www.english-heritage.org.uk

Halliggye Fogou

Trelowarren Estate, Helston.

Roofed and walled in stone, this complex of passages is the largest and best-preserved of several mysterious underground tunnels associated with Cornish Iron Age settlements. The purpose of such 'fogous' - a Cornish-language word meaning 'cave' - is unknown: refuges, storage chambers or ritual shrines have all been suggested.

Notes: English Heritage. Parking. Dogs allowed.

Get there by: By Car: 5 miles SE of Helston off B3293. E of Garras on Trelowarren Estate. Map Ref: OS Map 203; ref SW 714239. By Bus: Trurorian services T2/3 from Truro. By Train: Penryn 10 miles. By Cycle see web map: www.sustrans.co.uk.

Visit Halliggye Web Site: www.english-heritage.org.uk

Hurlers Stone Circles
	Three fine late Neolithic or early Bronze Age stone circles arranged in a line, a grouping unique in England. Probably the best examples of ceremonial circles in the south west, they are traditionally the remains of men petrified for playing 'hurling' on.
Notes: English Heritage.
Visit Hurlers Web Site: www.english-heritage.org.uk

King Doniert's Stone St Cleer, Liskeard.
	Two richly carved pieces of a 9th-century 'Celtic' cross, with an inscription commemorating Dumgarth, British King of Dumnonia, who drowned c. AD 875.
Notes: English Heritage. Parking. Dogs allowed.
Get there by: By Car: Located 1 mile NW of St Cleer off B3254. Map Ref: OS Map 201; ref SX 236688. By Bus: Western Greyhound 573 Callington-Looe (passing Liskeard Train station) within 1/2 mile. By Train: Liskeard 4 miles. By Cycle see web map: www.sustrans.co.uk.
Visit King Doniert's Web Site: www.english-heritage.org.uk

Launceston Castle Launceston. Tel: 01566 772365.
	Launceston Castle's keep is set on the high motte of a stronghold built soon after the Norman Conquest. Its North gate was famously used as a gaol for George Fox during the reign of Charles II. As the venue for the county assizes and gaol, the castle witnessed the trials and hangings of numerous criminals. The last execution was in 1821. A hands-on display at the castle traces 1,000 years of history, with finds from site excavations.
Notes: English Heritage. Disabled access: yes. Dogs allowed. Tours.
Get there by: By Car: In Launceston. Map Ref: OS Map 201; ref SX 330846. By Bus: First Western National services 76 and X76 Plymouth - Launceston, and service X10 Exeter St David's station - Boscastle. By Cycle see web map: www.sustrans.co.uk.
Visit Launceston Castle Web Site: www.english-heritage.org.uk

Pendennis Castle Falmouth. Tel: 01326 316594.
	Constructed between 1540 and 1545, Pendennis and its sister St Mawes Castle form the Cornish end of the chain of coastal castles built by Henry VIII to counter a threat from France and Spain. Thereafter Pendennis was frequently adapted to face new enemies over 400 years, right through until World War II. In 1598, during Elizabeth I's reign, a new type of defensive wall was added around the original fort. The castle was strengthened again prior to the Civil War and played host to the future Charles II in 1646, before he sailed to the Isles of Scilly. It then withstood five months of siege, before becoming the penultimate Royalist garrison on the British mainland to surrender. Pendennis continued to play a vital role in Cornwall's defences throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and saw significant action during World War II. Evidence of its fascinating history is on show throughout the site; the Noonday Gun is fired every day during July and August, and the Guardhouse has been returned to its World War I appearance. You can also visit the underground magazines and tunnels, including the World War II Half Moon Battery, as well as the original 16th-century keep with its recreated Tudor gun deck.
Notes: English Heritage. Families welcome. Disabled access: yes. Parking. Dogs allowed. Tours.
Get there by: By Car: On Pendennis Head, Cornwall, 1 mile SE of Falmouth. Map Ref: OS Map 204; ref SW 824318. By Bus: First 309 from Falmouth, Jun-Aug only. By Train: Falmouth Docks 1 mile. By Cycle see web map: www.sustrans.co.uk.
Visit Pendennis Castle Web Site: www.english-heritage.org.uk

Penhallam Treskinnick Cross, Week St Mary.
	The low and grass-covered but complete ground-plan of a moated 13th-century manor house, in a delightful woodland setting.
Notes: English Heritage. Parking. Dogs allowed.
Get there by: By Car: Sign-posted from Week St Mary, off a minor road off A39 from Treskinnick Cross (10 minutes' walk from the car park on the forest track). Map Ref: OS Map 190; ref SX 224974. By Cycle see web map: www.sustrans.co.uk.
Visit Penhallam Web Site: www.english-heritage.org.uk

Restormel Castle Lostwithiel. Tel: 01208 872687.
	Built in c. 1300, the great circular shell-keep of Restormel survives in good condition. It stands on an earlier Norman mound surrounded by a deep dry ditch, atop a high spur beside the River Fowey. Twice visited by the Black Prince, it finally saw action during the Civil War in 1644. A favourite picnic spot.
Notes: English Heritage. Families welcome. Disabled access: yes. with limitations. Parking. Dogs allowed. Tours. audio tour.
Get there by: By Car: Located 1 1/2 miles N of Lostwithiel off A390. Map Ref: OS Map 200; ref SX 104614. By Train: Lostwithiel 1 1/2 miles. By Cycle see web map: www.sustrans.co.uk.
Visit Restormel Castle Web Site: www.english-heritage.org.uk

St Breock Downs Monolith St Breock Downs, Wadebridge.
	Originally 5 metres (16 ft) high and weighing some 16.75 tonnes, this is Cornwall's largest and heaviest prehistoric monolith. It stands on the summit of the St Breock Downs, offering wonderful views.
Notes: English Heritage. Dogs allowed.
Get there by: By Car: Located on St Breock Downs, 33/4 miles SW of Wadebridge off unclassified road to Rosenannon. Map Ref: OS Map 200; ref SW 968683. By Train: Roche 5 1/2 miles. By Cycle see web map: www.sustrans.co.uk.
Visit St. Breock Web Site: www.english-heritage.org.uk

St Catherine's Castle Fowey.
	One of a pair of small artillery forts built by Henry VIII in the 1530s to defend Fowey Harbour, consisting of two storeys with gun ports at ground level.
Notes: English Heritage. Parking. Dogs allowed.
Get there by: By Car: 3/4 mile SW of Fowey along a footpath off A3082. Map Ref: OS Map 200; ref SX 118508. By Bus: First Western National service 24 St Austell - Fowey to within 1/2 mile. By Train: Par 4 miles. By Cycle see web map: www.sustrans.co.uk.
Visit St. Catherine's Web Site: www.english-heritage.org.uk

St Mawes St Mawes. Tel: 01326 270526.
	The best preserved and most elaborately decorated of Henry VIII's coastal fortresses, St Mawes was built to counter invasion threats from France and Spain: its counterpart was Pendennis, on the other side of the Fal Estuary. The clover-leaf shaped fort fell easily to landward attack by Parliamentarian forces in 1646, and was not properly refort-ified until the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Other coastal forts built by Henry VIII include Portland, Deal and Walmer Castles.
Notes: English Heritage. Families welcome. Disabled access: yes. with limitations. Parking. Dogs allowed. Tours. audio tour.
Get there by: By Car: In St Mawes on A3078. Map Ref: OS Map 204; ref SW 842328. By Bus: First 50 Truro - St Mawes to within 0.5 mile. By Train: Penmere, 18 miles via Prince of Wales Pier and ferry. By Cycle see web map: www.sustrans.co.uk.
Visit St Mawes Web Site: www.english-heritage.org.uk

Tintagel Castle Tintagel. Tel: 01840 770328.
	With its spectacular location on one of England's most dramatic coastlines, Tintagel is an awe-inspiring and romantic spot, a place of legends. Joined to the mainland by a narrow neck of land, Tintagel Island faces the full force of the Atlantic. On the mainland itself, the gaunt remains of the medieval castle represent only one phase in a long history of occupation. Even before Richard Earl of Cornwall built his castle, Tintagel was already associated with the conception of King Arthur. The connection was later renewed by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, in his Idylls of the King. After a period as a Roman settlement and military outpost, Tintagel is thought to have been a trading settlement of Celtic kings during the 5th and 6th centuries. Legend has it that one of these was King Mark, whose nephew Tristan fell in love with Yseult (or Isolde). Their doomed romance is part of Tintagel's story. The remains of the 13th-century castle are breathtaking. Steep stone steps, stout walls and rugged windswept cliff edges encircle the Great Hall, where Richard Earl of Cornwall once feasted. There are many unanswered questions and legends surrounding Tintagel. The castle has an amazing capacity to surprise us, even after years of investigation.
Notes: English Heritage. Families welcome. Parking. Dogs allowed.
Get there by: By Car: On Tintagel Head, 1/2 mile along uneven track from Tintagel, no vehicles. Map Ref: OS Map 200; ref SX 048891. By Bus: First Western National service X10 Exeter St David's station - Boscastle. By Cycle see web map: www.sustrans.co.uk.
Visit Tintagel Castle Web Site: www.english-heritage.org.uk

Tregiffian Burial Chamber St Buryan, Penzance.
	A Neolithic or early Bronze Age chambered tomb with an entrance passage, walled and roofed with stone slabs, leading into the central chamber.
Notes: English Heritage. Dogs allowed.
Get there by: By Car: Located 2 miles SE of St Buryan on B3315. Map Ref: OS Map 203; ref SW 431244. By Train: Penzance 5 1/2 miles. By Cycle see web map: www.sustrans.co.uk.
Visit Tregiffian Burial Web Site: www.english-heritage.org.uk

Trethevy Quoit St Cleer, Liskeard.
	This well-preserved and impressive Neolithic 'dolmen' burial chamber stands 2.7 metres (8.9 ft) high. There are five standing stones, surmounted by a huge capstone.
Notes: English Heritage.
Get there by: By Car: 1 mile NE of St Cleer near Darite off B3254. Map Ref: OS Map 201; ref SX 259688. By Train: Liskeard 3 1/2 miles. By Cycle see web map: www.sustrans.co.uk.
Visit Trethevy Quoit Web Site: www.english-heritage.org.uk

Visit Cornish Forefathers for a map of ancient and modern Cornwall Parishes and how to purchase transcriptions taken from parish records.