Ballowall Barrow

Ballowall Barrow stands on the cliff top at Ballowall Common near St Just in Cornwall. It is a prehistoric funerary cairn built in several phases from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age. The site is also known as Carn Gluze Barrow and was first excavated in 1878 by William Copeland Borlase. Borlase found the barrow under mining debris and his reconstruction work has left the site with a mix of original and modern elements. Finds from the excavation are kept in museums at Truro, Cambridge and the British Museum. The barrow measures 22 metres across and has a central domed structure containing cists. It is surrounded by an outer cairn that also holds cists and includes an entrance grave on its outer side. The site combines Neolithic and Bronze Age funerary rituals in a unique way. A similar site recorded by Borlase has since been lost. The barrow is a protected Scheduled monument managed by English Heritage and the National Trust. Its central dome and surrounding cairn create a striking landscape feature on the cliff top. Visitors can walk around the barrow and see the mix of original stones and later reconstructions. The site offers views over the rugged Cornish coast and nearby mining landscapes.