Neolithic hilltop enclosure with later settlement and defensive structures, a prehistoric field system, a medieval castle and deer park and mineral workings on Carn Brea

Scheduled area

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History & significance

Carn Brea is a Neolithic hilltop enclosure crowned by a prominent granite outcrop in west Cornwall near Camborne. The site contains one of the earliest known enclosed settlements in Britain, with evidence of occupation from approximately 3700 BC, when a defensive stone wall surrounded habitation areas on the hill summit. Later prehistoric activity is attested by Bronze Age and Iron Age remains, whilst medieval occupation is represented by a castle, deer park, and associated structures built to control the surrounding landscape. The complex archaeological palimpsest also includes evidence of prehistoric and later mineral working, reflecting the economic importance of the Cornish uplands across multiple periods of human activity.

Neolithic hilltop enclosure with later settlement and defensive structures, a prehistoric field system, a medieval castle and deer park and mineral workings on Carn Brea is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1006704. View the official record →

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