Chûn Castle

Penwith, United Kingdom

Chûn Castle is a large Iron Age hillfort (ringfort) near Penzance in Cornwall. The fort was built about 2,500 years ago, and fell into disuse until the early centuries AD when it was possibly re-occupied to protect the nearby tin mines. It stands beside a prehistoric trackway that was formerly known as the Old St Ives Road and the Tinners’ Way.

The fort was excavated in 1895, 1925, 1927 and 1930. Much pottery was uncovered; the earliest was dated to the 4th century BC due to its similarity to known Breton pottery of that age. But the fort may have been built upon a much older structure. Chûn Quoit, around 800 feet to the west, is dated to around 2400 BC. It is believed that the fort fell into disuse around the first century AD but was reoccupied and modified several centuries later, until the 6th century. However, occupation may also date to the later Roman period.

References:

Wikipedia

Prehistoric and archaeological sites in United Kingdom

Address

Penzance, Penwith, United Kingdom

See all sites in Penwith

Details

Founded: 500 BCE
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in United Kingdom

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

St Ia's Church (13,1 km)
St Michael's Mount (11,7 km)
Wheal Coates (33,4 km)
Godolphin Estate (19,6 km)
The Merry Maidens (9,8 km)
St Buryan's Church (8,2 km)
Carn Brea Castle (28,9 km)
St Wynwallow's Church (37,2 km)
St Sennen's Church (9,7 km)

User Reviews

John Thornton (4 months ago)
Good start point for walks. Free parking area, nothing nearby so take drinks.

Grant Bucknell (7 months ago)
Very evocative, beautifully situated ancient site. Very close to Chûn Quoit. At the top of a hill but it's a very moderate and easy walk up from the base. Great views all round but especially easterly towards Croft Watch and westerly towards Pendeen.

Ewan Baxter (18 months ago)
Circular castle about 40 metres diameter, very easy to get to from the small carpark, take the track towards the Quoit. The walls have collapsed but it looks like all the stones are there if someone decided to rebuild it. Gateway to the entrance has one stone still standing and both entrance stones are standing upright.

Gyp Mckarthy (18 months ago)
Luv it here at Chun Castle and Quoit, very sacred and special place for sure☯️??

Phil Jeffery (21 months ago)
Only a short walk (about 30 mins) from where we were staying in Great Bosellow. Fantastic views in all directions including Mounts Bay, Geevor Tin Mine and three coasts.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Photo from Flickr, copyright serbosca

Historic Site of the week

Manarola

Manarola is a small town, a frazione of the comune of Riomaggiore. It is the second-smallest of the famous Cinque Terre towns frequented by tourists, with a population of 353.

Manarola may be the oldest of the towns in the Cinque Terre, with the cornerstone of the church, San Lorenzo, dating from 1338. The local dialect is Manarolese, which is marginally different from the dialects in the nearby area. The name 'Manarola' is probably a dialectical evolution of the Latin, 'magna rota'. In the Manarolese dialect this was changed to 'magna roea' which means 'large wheel', in reference to the mill wheel in the town.

Manarola's primary industries have traditionally been fishing and wine-making. The local wine, called Sciacchetrà, is especially renowned; references from Roman writings mention the high quality of the wine produced in the region.