Above the village of Sancreed in West Penwith is Sancreed Beacon, an area of granite upland, 172m above sea level. It was probably inhabited during the Bronze Age.
This beautiful stretch of natural moorland offers both a spectacular view across Mounts Bay and a wide variety of flora, fauna and historic remains.
Remains of two burial mounds can be seen on the summit. The remains of what is believed to be a Bronze Age hut stand on its western slope.
Open works and old shafts provide evidence of tin mining here in the mid-19th century. The mine was called Wheal Argus and Beacon Mine.
The “beacon”, a fire lit on the hill to send a message to the next beacon and so on to London, would have been lit as a warning of invasion, for example during the Napoleonic wars.
Sancreed Beacon has been owned and managed by Cornwall Heritage Trust since 1985. A Higher Level Stewardship Agreement from Natural England is in place to help with the management of the land. The Trust owns four Dartmoor ponies who live on the site all year round and help with the management of the bracken through their grazing. They are looked after by our stockman and are well cared for.
Well behaved dogs are welcome at all of our sites, however, we ask that they are kept on leads and that their owners clean up after them. It is very important that the gates at the site are kept shut for the safety of the ponies.
If you would like to walk from Sancreed to Carn Euny, have a look at the iWalk Cornwall website https://www.iwalkcornwall.co.uk/walk/sancreed_to_carn_euny
