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Black Head, Cornwall

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Coordinates: 50°17′57″N 4°45′16″W / 50.29917°N 4.75444°W / 50.29917; -4.75444
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Black Head
Headland
Black Head is located in Cornwall
Black Head
Black Head
Coordinates: 50°17′57″N 4°45′16″W / 50.29917°N 4.75444°W / 50.29917; -4.75444
Grid positionSX 039 480
LocationSt Austell Bay, Cornwall
OperatorNational Trust
DesignationScheduled monument

Black Head is a headland at the western end of St Austell Bay, in Cornwall, England. It is owned by the National Trust.[1]

Description

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It is the site of an Iron Age promontory fort. There are two parallel ramparts, up to 5.2 metres (17 ft) high, with ditches of depth 2.1 metres (6 ft 11 in); slight remains are visible of a further rampart beyond. The fort is a scheduled monument. There are also the remains of a rifle range, built in the 1880s and modified in later years.[2]

A L Rowse memorial

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A memorial stone for the Cornish writer A. L. Rowse is situated on Black Head. In retirement he lived in the nearby hamlet of Trenarren.[3]

The National Trust in Cornwall donated a 2 ton weathered piece of granite measuring 8 feet (2.4 m) high, 4 feet (1.2 m) wide and 9 inches (230 mm) thick. The granite was transferred to the De Lank Quarries at St Breward for preparation, and the Boscastle born sculptor Anthony Fanshawe carved the inscription at his workshop in St Kew. On 29 July 1999 the memorial stone was unveiled by Lady Mary Holborow, the then Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall.[4]

The inscription reads:

A L Rowse CH, 1903-1997, Poet and Historian, Lef a Gernow, Voice of Cornwall, “This was the land of my content”.

  • Black Head
    Black Head
  • A L Rowse Memorial Stone
    A L Rowse Memorial Stone
  • Rifle Range
    Rifle Range

References

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  1. ^ "Opening times at The Dodman" National Trust. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  2. ^ Historic England. "Promontory fort at Black Head (1004391)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  3. ^ "Walk - Black Head & Castle Gotha". South West Coast Path. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  4. ^ Hunt, Phillip (Spring 2011). "The A L Rowse Memorial at Black Head". Old Cornwall. 14 (4): 28–31.