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Sunday, 09 December 2012 16:03

The Giant's Quiot Featured

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In a windswept corner of the Frying Pan Field on the Pendarves Estate in West Cornwall (TR14 9LR, SW6501437213), sits a neglected pile of stones known as Carwynnen Quoit.

With 5,000 years of history, the cromlech has some tales to tell, and even more to inspire.
 The five acre site was purchased in 2009 by the Sustainable Trust with help from the Heritage Lottery Fund and our partners.  Events were held to celebrate, and an art exhibition 'A Giant Leap' with free workshops was held in an empty shop in Camborne.

We are now developing a community project around the restoration of the monument.

 

In the longer term this will include exploring ancient farming methods and ways of life on the land using the restored quoit as a focus. It has been described as 'a monument like no other' by our greatest living Cornishman Charles Thomas CBE  DL Dlitt FBA FSA.

Fundraising to date has been successful for the archaeological excavations phase of the project, and a preliminary investigative dig was held in July 2012. Some interesting neolithic finds were made along with more contemporary artefacts.

The Big Dig

The big dig, a more detailed investigation, started in mid September 2012 and provided a unique community opportunity to excavate this Penwith chamber tomb and inform us about its original construction. In the not too distant future more fundraising bids will be written and the iconic Krommlegh Garwynnon  (cornish) will be restored for the people of Cornwall. 

The site inspires creativity . Novelist Ann Treneer wrote in 'Up Troon':- 'On the moor or standing under the great coping of Carwynnen, personality is dwarfed and petty problems melted away.' and ' Because it is in a field, Carwynnen, notwithstanding its powerful upright and grand coping stone, is a little subdued, a little domesticated, a little as though put in a cage to be a specimen, patronised by Pendarves. I used to wonder whether, in a home field, it felt like a Red Indian in an urban villa.'

Read 1759573 times Last modified on Sunday, 09 December 2012 16:27
Paula Johnson

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