Cornwall Heritage Trust and English Heritage volunteers came together from across Cornwall and Devon earlier this month to enhance the setting of the historic West Cornwall settlement of Carn Euny.
One of the best-preserved ancient villages in the South West, Carn Euny is located near Sancreed, Penzance. The Iron Age and Romano-British courtyard house settlement was occupied from about 500 BC to AD 400.
The two days of work saw volunteers join English Heritage and Cornwall Heritage Trust staff to undertake preservation work at the site, which included the removal of turf build-up from two houses and the laying of fresh gravel.
Gravel was first laid at the site in the 1960s in order to make it easier for visitors to appreciate the relationship between the interior and exterior parts of the complex. However, over time, turf has built up over this surface requiring maintenance.
The work is part of the second phase of an ongoing project at Carn Euny and a continuation of turf removal and gravel laying undertaken by volunteers in 2019. Future sessions are to be arranged to carry out the same works in three further houses in the ancient village.
Cathy Woolcock, CEO of Cornwall Heritage Trust, said: “I would like to thank all the volunteers who helped with this important enhancement of the Carn Euny site and we are especially grateful for the goodwill and assistance of the neighbouring farmer, Melville Wherry.
"CHT is presently planning to involve volunteers in a range of projects in the coming years and anyone interested in taking part can sign up on the Cornwall Heritage Trust website.”
Win Scutt, English Heritage Curator, said: “Carn Euny is a wonderful site and the work we have carried out makes it much easier for visitors to understand.
"The new gravel surfaces make the courtyards and houses so much clearer and also protect the sensitive buried archaeology from erosion.
"Working with our volunteers makes the whole job rewarding and so much fun too.”
Carn Euny is managed through a partnership between English Heritage and Cornwall Heritage Trust.
Admission to the site, which includes a stone-walled underground passage (known as a fogou), is free and there is a free car park at Brane for visitors to use.
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