Cheesewring

The Cheesewring is a granite tor on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall. It stands on Stowe’s Hill near the village of Minions, about four miles north of Liskeard. The formation consists of seven irregular granite slabs piled loosely on sloping ground. Its name comes from the way the slabs resemble stacked cheeses in a cider press. The rocks rise thirty-two feet without any support, with the heaviest slabs perched precariously on top.

Wilkie Collins described it in 1861 as a nightmare pile of stones, top-heavy and unstable. The fifth and sixth slabs overhang dangerously above the four lower ones. In the late 19th century, blasting from a nearby quarry threatened to destroy it. Local people campaigned successfully to save the landmark.

A legend says the Cheesewring was made in a rock-throwing contest between Saint Tue and the giant Uther. After twelve stones each, Uther’s final throw rolled downhill. Tue lifted it with divine help, and an angel carried it to the top. Nearby, stonemason Daniel Gumb once lived in a cave to avoid taxes. The tor is surrounded by other granite formations, making it a striking sight on the moor.