Merry Maidens & The Pipers Cornwall

Merry Maidens & The Pipers

Cornwall: Merry Maidens & The Pipers

Jake Davies

Cornwall, like much of the UK and the rest of Europe, is home to many Neolithic stone monuments.

Constructed millennia ago these structures come in a variety of sizes and forms, and numerous theories exist as to their purpose.

Some were known to be tombs, but the most mysterious and also well known are probably the stone circles and standing stones which were generally believed to have astronomical, calendrical and ritual purposes.

Merry Maidens neolithic stone circle, Cornwall, UK. — Merry Maidens neolithic stone circle, Cornwall, UK

The best stone circle in Cornwall is known as the Merry Maidens. — The best stone circle in Cornwall is known as the Merry Maidens

History

The Merry Maidens is a stone circle located in the west of Cornwall in St. Buryan between Penzance and Land's End.

It is almost perfectly circular and is believed to not have been altered like so many other examples around the country. It consists of 19 granite stones, evenly spaced, in a circle with a diameter of 78 ft. (23.8 meters).

The space between the stones is roughly 12 ft. with a wider gap at the eastern edge of the circle. The tallest of the stones are 55 inches (1.4 meters), though they reduce in size from the north east to the south west.

The Merry Maidens turned to stone for dancing on the Sabbath. — The Merry Maidens turned to stone for dancing on the Sabbath

Records indicate that there was another stone circle nearby of equal size but it had been destroyed by the 19th century.

The name Merry Maidens is of relatively recent origin and suggests that the church was trying to discourage pagan rituals at such ancient sites. According to the legend, which occurs repeatedly at other similar sites, is that 19 young women were turned to stone for dancing on the sabbath.

The Pipers

A couple of hundred meters to the northeast of the Merry Maidens and about 90 meters apart are the two biggest standing stones in Cornwall.

Called The Pipers, the legend claims they were the musicians playing for the Merry Maidens. The stones are 4.7 and 4.2 meters high and align in a roughly north east to south west direction aiming almost exactly at the Merry Maidens.

The tallest standing stone in Cornwall at 4.7 meters. — The tallest standing stone in Cornwall at 4.7 meters

Tregiffian Burial Chamber

Immediately adjacent to the Merry Maidens is Tregiffian Burial Chamber dated back to the Neolithic or early Bronze Age. It is a chambered tomb with a roofed entrance passage.

By the roadside between the Merry Maidens and the Pipers is the Nun Careg Celtic Cross. These wayside Celtic Crosses are prevalent across Cornwall and Devon and date back to between the 9th and 15th centuries.

Tregiffian Burial Chamber near St. Buryan in Cornwall. — Tregiffian Burial Chamber near St. Buryan in Cornwall

Access

There are no entry fees for any of these sites, but the Pipers are on private land and so permission should be asked.

B3315, Penzance
Cornwall TR19 6BQ

Located on the B3315 road south of St. Buryan.

Accessed via the A1 Atlantic Coaster bus that runs between Penzance and Land's End.

It is about a 1 mile detour off the Cornwall Coastpath.

There are several holiday cottages and bed and breakfast places offering accommodation in the area. Alternatively, nearby Penzance has a wide range of accommodation for all budgets.