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Rame Head is an ancient hillfort situated on a prominent coastal promontory in south-east Cornwall, England, commanding views across the waters between Devon and Cornwall. The site comprises multiple phases of occupation spanning from the Iron Age through to the twentieth century, including an Iron Age fortification with substantial ramparts, a medieval chapel dedicated to St Michael dating from the fourteenth century which sits within the hillfort's interior, and a Second World War radar station constructed during the 1940s. The promontory fort's defensive position and strategic location have ensured its continued significance across different periods of English history, from its original Iron Age construction through medieval pilgrimage and religious observance to its operational role in modern aerial defence. The survival of structures from these distinct historical phases, particularly the chapel and the remains of the fortification, provides material evidence for understanding patterns of long-term settlement and the re-use of defensive sites across centuries.
Promontory fort, medieval chapel of St Michael's and Second World War radar station at Rame Head is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1004510. View the official record →
Rame Head is an ancient hillfort situated on a prominent coastal promontory in south-east Cornwall, England, commanding views across the waters between Devon and Cornwall. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1004510.
Promontory fort, medieval chapel of St Michael's and Second World War radar station at Rame Head 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 1004510.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Royal Commission Fortification: unfinished battery at Knatterbury (1.8 km), Royal Commission fortifications at Forder Hill including two musketry lines and a road block (2.2 km), Cawsand Fort (2.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Promontory fort, medieval chapel of St Michael's and Second World War radar station at Rame Head's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Promontory fort, medieval chapel of St Michael's and Second World War radar station at Rame Head stands on Lower Devonian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.