King Arthur's Hall, Bodmin Moor, United Kingdom

King Arthur's Hall is a megalithic enclosure on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, England. It is thought to be a late Neolithic or early Bronze Age ceremonial site.

The monument consists of fifty-six stones arranged in a rectangle with a bank of earth around them and measures approximately 20m by 47m. The interior fills with water and a contemporary ground level has not been established. It has suffered damage by cattle in the past and is now protected by a gated fence. It can be reached by footpaths east of St Breward.

The surrounding area contains many stone circles, hut circles, cairns and cists.

In the absence of any archaeological finds, its origin and use is only speculative. A similar enclosure exists in Brittany which was a Bronze Age cremation site, but a similar rampart construction at Lough Gur in Ireland suggests an earlier Neolithic date. It has even been suggested that it was merely a medieval cattle pound, but the effort required to build the bank and to erect the slabs suggests that it had a more important function.

References:

Wikipedia

Prehistoric and archaeological sites in United Kingdom

User Reviews

C R (2 years ago)
About a kilometre from the road on top of King Arthur's Downs sits this rectangular feature. Thought to be neolithic in origin, some of the standing stones are still visible as is the embankment and central depression. A wild and atmospheric location with great views.

Dan Petley (2 years ago)
An eerie isolated mystery. Well worth a visit, drive as close as you can and leave your car where the road ends. Strangely there's good internet so you can use maps for the 7 minute walk up the hill to get there.

B Bond (007) (3 years ago)
The walk is like 10 minutes. But it’s really really beautiful here. Even though i don’t know what is it, the view on the site and it’s surroundings were amazing. If I’m ever close by again i would definitely visit again

Neil Fuller (3 years ago)
Interesting artefact out on the moors near to St Breward It would seem that the archaeologists can't decide what it was built for, which makes the place rather mysterious. To get to "King Arthur's Hall", it is easiest to park at Candra and follow the track. Usual warnings apply such as wear appropriate clothes and footwear and carry a map.

simon warne (4 years ago)
Absolutely gorgeous place . You can access nearly everywhere between temple , camelford and bodmin without going near a road. Lovely walk. Dress for the weather and not for the moment.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Zvonimir Hrvoj

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus

The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.

The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.

The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.

King Arthur's Hall

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus