Lanyon Quoit

Lanyon Quoit is a prehistoric dolmen in Cornwall, standing on the road between Madron and Morvah. It sits 50 metres east of the road, with another dolmen, West Lanyon Quoit, 700 metres to the west. The site lies two miles southeast of Morvah, northwest of Penzance. A long barrow 26 metres long and 12 metres wide runs north to south beneath the monument. The barrow is covered in grass and bracken, its edges worn away by time. The quoit once had four upright stones supporting a massive capstone. In 1815, a storm toppled the structure, and nine years later local people paid to have it rebuilt under Captain Giddy’s direction. One stone was too damaged to reuse, so only three uprights remain today. The capstone, over 5.5 metres long and weighing more than twelve tonnes, still rests as it did before the collapse. Early drawings by William Borlase in 1769 show the quoit looked different then. Visitors find three standing stones topped by the heavy capstone, set within a grassy barrow. The stones stand about 1.5 metres high, lower than they once were. At the barrow’s southern end lie scattered stones that may be remains of cists. The site has been studied since the 18th century, with etchings by Borlase and later artists showing its changes. The National Trust now owns the land, preserving the ancient monument for future generations.