Details

The monument includes a stone hut circle situated on the north-west slope of a
broad spur occupied by Higher Langdon Farm in the River Fowey valley on
southern Bodmin Moor.
The hut circle forms the easternmost part of a dispersed linear settlement
containing seven hut circles which are arranged along an approximate east-west
line over 134m of the hillslope, and surround a hollow containing thick, damp
peat deposits. The other six hut circles in the settlement are situated from
25m west of this monument.
This hut circle has a wall of heaped rubble and boulders, up to 1.5m wide and
0.4m high, defining a circular internal area 4.5m in diameter, levelled into
the hillslope. The wall has several facing slabs along its outer edge. Modern
pasture improvement in the vicinity has produced two gaps in the wall, 2m wide
in the northern sector and 3m wide in the southern sector, and some of the
resulting rubble has been deposited in the south-east part of the hut circle's
interior.
The settlement containing this hut circle is located close to extensive
prehistoric and medieval settlement sites and field systems on the crown of
the spur and in its eastern and southern flanks.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Bodmin Moor, the largest of the Cornish granite uplands, has long been
recognised to have exceptional preservation of archaeological remains. The
Moor has been the subject of detailed archaeological survey and is one of the
best recorded upland landscapes in England. The extensive relict landscapes of
prehistoric, medieval and post-medieval date provide direct evidence for human
exploitation of the Moor from the earliest prehistoric period onwards. The
well-preserved and often visible relationship between settlement sites, field
systems, ceremonial and funerary monuments as well as later industrial remains
provides significant insights into successive changes in the pattern of land
use through time. Stone hut circles were the dwelling places of prehistoric
farmers on the Moor, mostly dating from the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). The
stone-based round houses survive as low walls or banks enclosing a circular
floor area; remains of a turf or thatch roof are not preserved. The huts occur
singly or in small or large groups and may occur in the open or be enclosed by
a bank of earth and stone. Although they are common on the Moor, their
longevity of use and their relationship with other monument types provides
important information on the diversity of social organisation and farming
practices among prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative
of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are
considered worthy of protection.

This stone hut circle north-west of Higher Langdon has survived despite some
limited damage from the recent pasture improvement. The hut circle marks the
eastern extent of a prehistoric settlement whose overall survival is good and
whose proximity to thick peat deposits is unusual. Such deposits will preserve
buried land surfaces and environmental evidence contemporary with the
settlement's construction and use. The nearby prehistoric and medieval
settlements and field systems on this spur place this monument in its wider
context and demonstrate well the nature of farming practices among
prehistoric communities and their development through the medieval period to
the present day.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
consulted 1993, Carter, A./Fletcher, M.J./RCHME, 1:2500 AP plot and field trace for SX 2073,
consulted 1993, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1224.07,

Source: Historic England