Ballowall Barrow, St Just, Cornwall
Ballowall Barrow is one of the largest and most complex of the prehistoric funerary monuments that cluster along the West Penwith coastline. Often sited in dramatic locations, it is likely that they were built by local communities to provide striking shrines or tombs for the dead. The barrow had been covered by debris from nearby tin mines but was discovered by W C Borlase in 1878. His excavations revealed a unique and complex Bronze Age funerary monument. In the centre of the barrow was a mound surrounded by two circular drystone walls. Contained within it were five small stone-lined chambers, known as cists, some with Bronze Age pottery and burnt bone. After the excavation, Borlase built stone walls to display important features of the barrow. This radically altered the appearance of the site. The site is now in the care of English Heritage (2010). Find out more
