Lanyon Quoit, Neolithic dolmen in Madron, England
Lanyon Quoit is a Neolithic granite dolmen near Madron, Cornwall, made of three upright stones topped by a broad flat capstone. It stands at the northern end of a long burial mound, and traces of additional burial stones can still be seen toward the southern end.
The monument was first built around 5,000 years ago as a Neolithic burial site. A severe storm brought it down in 1815, and it was reassembled in 1824 using only three of what had originally been four upright stones.
The name 'Lanyon' likely comes from a Cornish word meaning pool or lake, even though the surrounding land today appears dry. The flat capstone sits low over the ground after the reconstruction, giving the monument a very different presence than it once had.
The site is in open countryside and reachable on foot from a nearby lane without a long walk. The ground can get muddy after rain, and the exposed setting means wind is often noticeable, so sturdy footwear is a good idea.
Before the 1815 collapse, the stones stood high enough for a person on horseback to ride beneath the capstone without ducking. The 1824 rebuilding set the uprights shorter into the ground, so that original height was never recovered.
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