Boscawen-Un

Stone Circle - Cornwall

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Boscawen-Un is unusual in that it is one the few stone circles that feature a centre stone, also unusual is its excellent level of preservation. We counted nineteen stones in the ring, eighteen of grey granite and one, at the WSW, of quartz, this is thought to have been the original stone count. There were two sizable stones lying close to the ring at the NE and another 8m away at the NE, also composed of the same ubiquitous grey granite as the circle stones, we could not tell if they had been associated with the ring or were "recent" additions. 
There is a wide gap in the circle at the west, this may be deliberate and intended as an entrance, a similar gap exists in the ring of the nearby Merry Maidens. The centre stone is big at 2.7m long, but because of its pronounced tilt to the ENE, its top is only 2m above the ground. The inclination of the centre stone may have been intentional, the report of an excavation at the base of the stone in 1864 mentioned that it was "carefully placed in its leaning position". There are supposed to be faint carvings of two axe heads on the base of the centre stone, but it was so dull and overcast during our visit that we could not make them out.
The site itself has a pronounced slope to the NW (see above photo), and, as we found, a tendency to become overgrown with weeds and bracken in the summer. If you want to see this impressive circle in all of its glory, a visit in the winter or spring would be best.