Scheduled Monuments›England›Cliff castle known as Maen Castle

Cliff castle known as Maen Castle

England
List entry 1006757
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1006757
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
1.12 hectares
Grid reference
SW3476725763
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Maen Castle is a cliff-edge Iron Age hillfort located near Padstow in north Cornwall. The site occupies a prominent coastal position and is defended by substantial ramparts and ditches that exploit the natural strength of the cliff-top location. The monument dates from the Iron Age period and represents an important example of prehistoric defensive settlement in the south-west peninsula. The earthwork fortifications remain substantially visible today, demonstrating the strategic use of both artificial and natural topography in Iron Age fort construction.

Cliff castle known as Maen Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1006757. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Cliff castle known as Maen Castle?

Maen Castle is a cliff-edge Iron Age hillfort located near Padstow in north Cornwall. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1006757.

Who is responsible for protecting Cliff castle known as Maen Castle?

Cliff castle known as Maen Castle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1006757.

What other scheduled monuments are near Cliff castle known as Maen Castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Trevescan Cross 340m SSW of Sennen Church (1 km), Wayside cross 170m north of Trevilley (1.4 km), Two barrows and circular enclosure on Pordenack Point (1.6 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Cliff castle known as Maen Castle

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Cliff castle known as Maen Castle's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Trevescan Cross 340m SSW of Sennen Church
1 km
Wayside cross 170m north of Trevilley
1.4 km
Two barrows and circular enclosure on Pordenack Point
1.6 km
Promontory fort at Carn Les Boel
2.7 km
Round cairn 160m north east of Bosistow Island
2.7 km
Porthgwarra Ullies
4.7 km
Wayside cross in St Levan churchyard, 10m north east of the church
4.8 km
Churchyard cross in St Levan churchyard, 10m south of the church
4.8 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Cliff castle known as Maen Castle

Cliff castle known as Maen Castle stands on Ordovician granite, bedrock that formed in the Ordovician. The rock here is granite group.

Domesday entry for Brea, Cornwall →
All Scheduled Monuments