Cornwall, tin mining and the Neolithic.

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Cornwall has a raw beauty!!

Stone Circle – The Merry Maids – Cornwall

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What is it about Stone Circles? A connection to our Neolithic ancestors. They still have power for me.

Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens overlooking St Michael’s Mount

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A great place to have lunch!! We were lucky having a friend who knew what she was doing. She organised the weather too!

In Search of the Zennor Quoit – a Neolithic Burial Chamber

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We set off from Zennon off on a tiny farm track into the hills. We parked up and climbed up the path through the fabulous rock formations of the Zennor heights. We had to cross streams on stepping stones, pass meadows of seas of wild flowers and work our way through the sculpted stones.

Then, at the top we set off along a trail that lead to the fabulous tomb. The mysterious Zennor Quoit.

St Ives in Black and White – Cornwall

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I’ve been experimenting with Black and White. Walking round St Ives I thought the use of black and white was more atmospheric.

This old Cornish fishing town is now a major tourist hub. We got there early before the streets became thronged.

Men an Tol – Neolithic fertility stones – Cornwall

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This rare type of Neolithic site is thought to be a fertility site. The circular stone in the centre is unique. It is thought that couples who wish for pregnancy should pass through the circle. I think, down the ages, many a couple have done a bit more than simply passing through.

Carn Euny – Iron Age Village in Cornwall

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In the midst of the beautiful Cornwall landscape there are the remains of an Iron Age settlement dating back to the 2nd century.

The remains are well preserved and allow you to see and feel what our ancestors lived like. You can sit on a stone and stare out through the eyes of the past.

All around us is the mystery of history. An underground passage and chamber (A fogou). Who know what strange ceremonies were carried out in there.

The Tin Mines of Poldark and Cornwall

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There are a number of these old remains of what once were prosperous mines. The whole of Cornwall is a honeycomb of abandoned mine workings. For me they are like a modern stone henge – a memory of a past that has gone.

Though there is talk of reopening the mines. It seems that there is a modern day need for the rare metals contained in these rocks.

There is something majestic about their dour granite facades. They were built to last; a monument to the men who worked down in those gruesome pits.

They have become part of the scenery of this rugged landscape.

Wandering around St Ives

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It was early morning. The sun was out. Most of the toutists were still in bed. We walked along the front and then into the narrow back streets. I was looking for the soul that used to be. It was still there.

It is always strange revisiting places from the past.

England – Cornwall – The Eden Project – Horticulture – photos

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We set off to see some good friends in Cornwall and stopped off at the futuristic Eden Project on the way. It’s a bit like Kew Gardens on acid. Futuristic geodesic domes, weird sculptues and fabulous tropical plants.

I always love the leaf patterns.