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The Great Britain Guide

Hill forts · South West England

Sperris Quoit

Free admission

Sperris Quoit — dolmen in the Cornwall region, England.

Sperris Quoit, hill forts in South West England

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
1 h–2 h
Nearest railway station
St Ives · 5.2 km
  • Free entry
  • Dog-friendly

About

Sperris Quoit is a hill fort in the United Kingdom. Heritage designation: scheduled monument. Wikidata describes it as: "dolmen in the Cornwall region, England". Coordinates: 50.1902°, -5.5445°.

Photo gallery

Protected designations

  • Site of Special Scientific Interest: Aire Point to Carrick Du SSSI
  • Site of Special Scientific Interest: West Penwith Moors and Downs SSSI
  • Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: Cornwall

Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.

From the Wikipedia article

Sperris Quoit is a ruined megalithic burial chamber or dolmen, and one of a type of tomb unique to West Penwith, located on a moor around 365 metres northeast of Zennor Quoit, being roughly halfway between Zennor and Amalveor, Cornwall. It is the northernmost quoit in the Penwith peninsula and a Scheduled Monument.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

Sperris Quoit is over 4000 years old, and may be older, possibly as old as 7000 years, as it has been dated variously at late- or post-Neolithic, and late Mesolithic or Neolithic. It was in relatively good condition until at least the early 19th century, but there is evidence that stones have been removed since then, for local building work in the village of Zennor. The site was rediscovered in 1954 by Thomas and Wakes, who excavated it in part.

Description

The quoit is situated in rough moorland on the side of Zennor Hill, at about 230 metres above sea level, and is close to several rocky outcrops. About 12 metres in diameter, five stones were found during the excavations, two standing, and three fallen, of which one has eroded to a stump, although due to heavy vegetation and dense gorse, only one upright of the chamber is visible, which is over 1.5 metres tall.

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
50.1902, -5.5445
District
Cornwall
Parish
Zennor
Postcode
TR26 3BP
Parliamentary constituency
St Ives
Nearest railway station
St Ives5.2 km

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Sperris Quoit?
Sperris Quoit is in South-West England, United Kingdom (postcode TR26 3BP), in the parish of Zennor.
Is Sperris Quoit a listed building?
Sperris Quoit is officially recognised as scheduled monument listed.
Is Sperris Quoit a protected site?
Yes — Sperris Quoit is part of the Aire Point to Carrick Du SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest and the West Penwith Moors and Downs SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Is Sperris Quoit free to visit?
Yes, Sperris Quoit is free to enter.
How do I get to Sperris Quoit?
The nearest railway station is St Ives, about 5.2 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode TR26 3BP.