Trevelgue Head Cliff Castle
Trevelgue Head Cliff Castle North Annex · Trevelgue Site
Iron Age (600–100 BCE)·Iron Age·🇬🇧 Cornwall, Newquay, United Kingdom
About
About Trevelgue Head Cliff Castle
Trevelgue Head Cliff Castle in Cornwall, Newquay, United Kingdom is a Iron Age (600–100 BCE) hillfort attributed to Iron Age. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal enclosure 180 × 120 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 50.4300N -5.0900E controls access to Cornwall resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey hillfort for Cornwall, Newquay, illustrating Iron Age construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Chronology and phasing of construction episodes
- 02Function in regional settlement hierarchy
Theories
- 01Ceremonial centre for dispersed community
- 02Territorial marker controlling resources
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 500–100 BCE
- Period
- Iron Age (600–100 BCE)
- Culture
- Iron Age
- Purpose
- Defended elite residence and seasonal aggregation centre
- Rediscovered
- 1962 survey
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
c. 500–100 BCE
Initial construction of Trevelgue Head Cliff Castle main structure
c. 1902
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically
1962–2007
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Trevelgue Head Cliff Castle) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
50.4300° N · 5.0900° W · 94 m · 4 mapped features
Trevelgue Head Cliff Castle — Main Structure
structurePrincipal hillfort — Enclosure 180 × 120 m with diagnostic masonry/panel
50.4308° N · 5.0891° WTrevelgue Head Cliff Castle — Ancillary Complex
complexAncillary settlement debris and ceramics surrounding main feature
50.4290° N · 5.0907° WTrevelgue Head Cliff Castle — Peripheral Feature
outlierPeripheral feature with outlier deposit and burial
50.4315° N · 5.0888° WTrevelgue Head Cliff Castle — Hydraulic/Cistern
hydraulicHydraulic feature — cistern/reservoir or rock-cut channel associated with site
50.4284° N · 5.0911° W