A complex funerary monument

Ballowall Barrow is one of the largest and most complex of the prehistoric funerary monuments that cluster along the West Penwith coastline. Often sited in dramatic locations, it is likely that they were built by local communities to provide striking shrines or tombs for the dead.

The central mound may have been up to 4.5 metres in height. It is unclear whether the mound or the entrance grave was built first. © English Heritage Concealed by debris from nearby tin mines, Ballowall Barrow was discovered by W. C. Borlase in 1878. His excavations revealed a unique and complex Bronze Age funerary monument.

In the centre of the barrow was a mound surrounded by two concentric drystone walls. Contained within it were five small stone-lined chambers, known as cists, some with Bronze Age pottery and burnt bone. Two pits, forming a T-shape, may have been graves.

After the construction of walls to display the monument, some features, such as the central cists, went missing. © English Heritage This central mound was surrounded by a stone platform, or apron, and two more cists were built against it. The apron also incorporates an entrance grave, which contained Bronze Age pottery and cremated bone.

After the excavation, Borlase built stone walls to display important features of the barrow, creating a circular passage between the central mound and apron. This radically altered the appearance of the site.