Friends in High Places
Neolithic Tors
The Neolithic tor enclosures, the very first constructed ancient sites in Cornwall, were important centres in the mid-3000s BCE. In Penwith they are found at Carn Galva, Trencrom Hill, Carn Kenidjack and St Michael's Mount.
Penwith also has a variety of hill camps and holy hills from later times, featured on another page.
Quicklinks: Carn Galva | Carn Kenidjack | St Michael's Mount | Trencrom Hill
Carn Galva as seen from Caer Brân
Carn Galva
The Holy Hills of West Penwith - click to enlarge
Carn Galva
This tor was the central place, the axis mundi, of Penwith in the mid-3000s BCE. Everything revolved around it (like a town centre) and many Penwithians lived nearby.
Like a classic magic mountain it can be seen from quite a way away. It's a humpbacked dragon hill when seen from side-on, and when seen from the south it looks like a rounded pyramid. From the north it looks very different again.
The north end of Carn Galva
Carn Galva from Men Scryfa
Carn Galva from the south
Carn Galva from Rosemergy
Carn Galva
Carn Galva from Men Scryfa direction
Carn Kenidjack
This bold Neolithic tor hovers over Tregeseal, visible from far away - even Scilly. Some stones on it might be placed or position-adjusted stones.
In the Bronze Age, the tribe looking after Tregeseal and Carn Kenidjack probably controlled Capes Cornwall and Kenidjack. The Tregeseal complex might have been landscaped parkland, designed to connect visually with the Scillies.
Carn Kenidjack from Chun
Carn Kenidjack as seen from Botrea Barrows
Carn Kenidjack
Carn Kenidjack from Tregeseal stone circle
Carn Kenidjack
Carn Kenidjack from Carn Eanes
Carn Kenidjack from Tregeseal, at a rather special moment
St Michael's Mount from Long Rock
St Michael's Mount
Around 1700 BCE this Neolithic tor became a tidal island - the woodlands around it were inundated, possibly by a tsunami. It has always been a trading harbour with regular contact with Brittany, Normandy and Iberia. It was Penwithians' point of contact with visitors from far-off lands.
It has been occupied from the megalithic era to today. When the railway came Penzance outgrew it. It has been a harbour, a village, a market, a fortress and a monastery. The Mount is a key site and major alignments centre.
Major alignments from St Michael's Mount - click to enlarge
St Michael's Mount as seen from Cudden Point
St Michael's Mount from Caer Bran
St Michael's Mount from Trencrom Hill
St Michael's Mount from Penzance harbour
Cudden Point and St Michael's Mount from Halzephron Cliff in the Lizard - with Watch Croft behind
Trencrom Hill from the Towans
Trencrom Hill
Tor Crom is a tor enclosure guarding Penwith from the wild folk upcountry. In the Iron Age it was upcycled into a hill camp. Looking upcountry, it has a rare view of the north and south coasts. The summer solstice sun rises NE over St Agnes Beacon and at winter solstice it rises SE over Godolphin Hill.
People lived on top of the hill. It has a hilltop well, Iron Age roundhouses and a ceremonial rock platform on top at the SE corner. The Money Rock on the way up is worth checking out.
On Trencrom Hill
The ancient well on Trencrom Hill
On top of Trencrom Hill
Trencrom Hill as seen from St Michael's Mount
The ancient well on Trencrom Hill
Trencrom Hill from Porthtowan, up the north coast of Cornwall
Trencrom Hill, with Carn Brea behind, as seen from near Castle an Dinas
Trencrom Hill with Carn Brea behind
After 3200 BCE the Neolithic tors lost their primacy and the Neolithic went into a downturn. By the late 2000s the stone circles became the centres of activity. By then the landscape had changed, and 30-50% of the wildwood was cleared, creating new landscapes never seen before.
To find out more about neolithic tors, see:
For some background history, see also, on Palden's own site:
To find these sites on a detailed online map, click here: Map of the Ancient Sites of West Penwith