Hill forts · South West England
Porth Hellick Down
In or near Old Town.
Porth Hellick Down — archaeological site on the island of St Mary's, in the Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, England.
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Wikimedia Commons licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1 h–2 h
- Free entry
- Family-friendly
- Dog-friendly
- Limited wheelchair access
About
Porth Hellick Down is a hill fort in the United Kingdom. Owned by English Heritage. Managed by English Heritage. Wikidata describes it as: "archaeological site on the island of St Mary's, in the Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, England". Coordinates: 49.9183°, -6.2811°.
Photo gallery
Official information
Porth Hellick Down Burial Chamber is a significant Bronze Age entrance grave located on St Mary's in the Isles of Scilly. The site features a large mound with a stone-lined chamber and an unroofed passage, showcasing the architectural style of the period. Visitors can explore this historic site and learn about its archaeological significance.
Protected designations
- Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: Isles Of Scilly
Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
Porth Hellick Down is a Neolithic and Bronze Age archeological site located on the island of St Mary's, in the Isles of Scilly in Great Britain. The ancient burial monument encompasses a large cairn cemetery that includes at least six entrance graves, other unchambered cairns, and a prehistoric field system. The site is notable for having the largest assembly of surviving entrance graves.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
Architecture
Porth Hellick Down is located on the island of St Mary's in the Isles of Scilly, overlooking Porth Hellick Bay. The Neolithic and Bronze Age monument encompasses a large cairn cemetery containing several burial cairns, including at least six entrance graves. It also includes an ancient linear boundary and a prehistoric field system, which stretches across the northern and north western section of the Down. It is the largest surviving group of entrance graves in the world.
Description
The largest and best preserved entrance grave on the ancient site is a Bronze Age grave (2000-1500 BC) located on the northwestern slope of Porth Hellick Down. The burial monument is situated close to the boundary of a prehistoric field system. The site was excavated by the antiquarian, George Bonsor in 1899. He named the entrance grave, "The Great Tomb". Earlier unrecorded excavations at the site had left the burial chamber empty, except for a piece of pumice and a few remnants of late Bronze Age pottery fragments. Bonsor's excavation is the first excavation in Scilly to be recorded in detail. The entrance grave sits on a low, circular platform. It consists of a mound that is 12.25 m in…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 49.9183, -6.2811
- District
- Isles of Scilly
- Parish
- St Mary's
- Postcode
- TR21 0NY
- Parliamentary constituency
- St Ives
- Established
- 1750
- Opening
- Open any reasonable time during daylight hours
- Official site
- www.english-heritage.org.uk
Sources
- wikidata: Q7231738 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Porth Hellick Down (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Porth Hellick Down?
- Porth Hellick Down is in South-West England, United Kingdom (postcode TR21 0NY), in the parish of St Mary's.
- What is Porth Hellick Down?
- Porth Hellick Down — archaeological site on the island of St Mary's, in the Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, England.
- How do I get to Porth Hellick Down?
- Drivers can use postcode TR21 0NY.
- When was Porth Hellick Down built?
- Built or established in 1750.
- Who runs Porth Hellick Down?
- Porth Hellick Down is operated by English Heritage.
- Is Porth Hellick Down a protected site?
- Yes — Porth Hellick Down is part of the Isles Of Scilly National Landscape (AONB).
- Is Porth Hellick Down free to visit?
- Yes, Porth Hellick Down is free to enter.
- How do I get to Porth Hellick Down?
- Drivers can navigate to postcode TR21 0NY. It sits within the St Ives parliamentary constituency.