First and Last – Our Living Working Landscape
Ancient Penwith
Partners
CASPN
Outputs
Recording, monitoring and interpretation of heritage features (historic sites and monuments) in the landscape.
Restoration of neglected sites.
Educational visits and guided walks.
Description
Pennwydh Koth or Ancient Penwith aimed to assist with the conservation and care of a number of historic monuments in Penwith, and to raise awareness of and improve access to these monuments and the wider heritage of the area. The key objectives of the project were to protect landscape heritage through restoring ancient sites; recording them to monitor their condition over time; and creating volunteering and training opportunities to build the skills needed to care for Penwith’s heritage.
These were achieved through activities carried out by volunteer groups with professional support. Works included: clearing vegetation and maintaining access; small stabilisation works and repairs to monuments; surveys and condition monitoring; production of conservation management plans; small-scale excavations; and sharing information about the sites. We hoped to demonstrate the relevance of the past to the current living, working landscape of Penwith; and embed a deeper understanding, enjoyment and pride within the local community. This was supported by providing improved physical access to sites, providing informative and interactive content, and to support people to have fun learning about and celebrating their heritage.
Key success of the Ancient Penwith project include:
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100 records made for previously unrecorded sites
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130 specific sites better managed, understood and accessible
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Artistic reconstructions commissioned to help present the often hard to see sites to the public in in interesting and engaging way.
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The interconnected and multi layered nature of the landscape demonstrated in the PLEN
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140 volunteer clearance sessions have taken place on sites
The Ancient Penwith strand of work is closely integrated with other aspects of our work including ecology, farming, access and interpretation.
The lead partner for this project was the Cornwall Ancient Sites Protection Network (CASPN), with input from the Cornwall Council Historic Environment Service, Cornwall Archaeological Society and Historic England. It was managed by our Ancient Penwith Project Officer.
To learn more about our ancient sites and the trails that connect them, visit our Trails and Ancient Sites page
You can also explore the ancient sites we will work on as part of our programme on our interactive map.
