Mulfra Quoit

Mulfra Quoit is a Neolithic dolmen standing on Mulfra Hill north of Madron in Cornwall. It sits on high ground west of Penzance, between Porthmeor and New Mill, with views over the surrounding hills to the sea. The site is reached by a short walk up the hill from the hamlet of Mulfra. The dolmen has three tall stones arranged in a U-shape, open on one side, supporting a large square capstone. The capstone has slipped and weighs about five tonnes, with a bulge underneath that keeps it steady on the three pillars. Remains of the original covering mound can still be seen around the structure. The quoit was first recorded in 1769 by the antiquarian William Borlase, who drew it and described a stone embankment around the site. His descendant William Copeland Borlase dug inside the chamber in 1872 and found only charred wood. Later experts compared it to nearby Chûn Quoit but noted its poorer condition. In 1932, Hencken called it a less perfect chamber, and in 1950 Glyn Daniel classified it as a typical rectangular chamber. Despite its damaged state, the site remains an important example of Neolithic burial practice. Visitors find a quiet grassy hilltop with the dolmen’s three upright stones and the large tilted capstone. The surrounding landscape offers wide views across Cornwall’s hills to the sea. The remnants of the old mound form a low ring around the structure. The site is small and easily explored on foot, with no modern distractions. Its remote position adds to the sense of standing where people did thousands of years ago. The simplicity of the stones and the open sky make it a place for quiet reflection.