Kerbed cairn 100m NNW of Chapel Carn Brea
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Scheduled Monument
- List Entry Number:
- 1004389
- Date first listed:
- 01-Feb-1961
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Scheduled Monument
- List Entry Number:
- 1004389
- Date first listed:
- 01-Feb-1961
- Location Description:
- Legacy Record - This information may be included in the List Entry Details.
Location
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Cornwall (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- St. Just
- National Grid Reference:
- SW3852728142
Reasons for Designation
Kerbed cairns are prehistoric funerary monuments dating to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). They were constructed as stone mounds defined by an outer kerb of upright stones or walling covering single or multiple burials. These burials may be placed within the mound in stone-lined compartments called cists. In some cases the cairn was surrounded by a ditch. Often occupying prominent locations, kerbed cairns are a major visual element in the modern landscape. They are a relatively common feature of the uplands and are the stone equivalent of the earthen round barrows of the lowlands. Their considerable variation in form and longevity as a monument type provide important information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisation amongst early prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period. Despite partial early excavation the kerbed cairn 100m NNW of Chapel Carn Brea survives comparatively well and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its construction, longevity, territorial significance, social organisation, funerary and ritual practices and overall landscape context.
Details
The monument includes a kerbed cairn, situated on the upper northern slopes of the prominent hill called Carn Brea, with views across to Whitesand Bay. The cairn survives as a circular stony mound measuring up to 12m in diameter and 1.7m high. The cairn is surrounded by a partial kerb of contiguous stone blocks with an inner diameter of 6.3m which stands up to 0.9m high. In the centre is an early excavation hollow containing a slab of stone which Henderson, the first to describe the cairn in around 1914, suggested was the dislodged cover stone of a cist composed from drystone walling.
Sources: HER:- PastScape Monument No:-420646
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- CO 588
- Legacy System:
- RSM - OCN
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 24-Jul-2026 at 08:18:30.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.