Medieval playing place known as Plain an Gwary, St Just
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Scheduled Monument
- List Entry Number:
- 1006718
- Date first listed:
- 28-Nov-1923
Location
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Official list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Scheduled Monument
- List Entry Number:
- 1006718
- Date first listed:
- 28-Nov-1923
- 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:
- SW 37018 31421
Reasons for Designation
The medieval playing place known as Plain an Gwary, St Just is one of the two best known in Cornwall. It is an early form of outdoor theatre and is thought to have been a place where mystery plays and various social, religious and political events were held through time. Despite undergoing extensive restoration during the 19th century it remains an important, rare and unusual monument linking communication, political, religious, economic and social events from the medieval period onwards.
Details
The monument includes a medieval playing place known as 'Plain an Gwary' situated near the centre of St Just. The playing place survives as a level circular central area measuring approximately 38m in diameter defined by a bank measuring up to 2m high faced with stone on the outer side with two original walled entrances. The outer ditch survives as a buried feature. A small recess measuring 1m square on the western retaining wall apparently marks the position of a small corbelled chamber which was located during an archaeological excavation in 1956. Within the chamber was a range of modern household debris and pottery. The medieval playing place was restored in the mid 19th century. Within the interior are six large granite blocks with drill holes made by miners. There are numerous spellings for the name including: Plain an Gwarry; Plen an gw ary; Plain-an-Gwarry; Plan an Guare; and Plen an Gwary. Sources: HER:- PastScape Monument No:-421566
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- CO 26
- 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 12-Jun-2026 at 08:26:28.
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.