Archaeology | Godrevy Warren

Archaeological work: heritage and protection

In the 1950’s the ‘Gwithian Project’ became a unique archaeological field school. It trained a new generation of archaeologists, established new practice and evolved into one of the most important landscape projects in British archaeology.

Almost the whole site is a Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM), designated by Historic England (see SAM listings 1004258 & 1004259). This helps emphasise Godrevy Warren’s distinct national heritage and archaeological value.

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Excavations at medieval manor house at Crane Godrevy in 1957, at Godrevy Warren

6th – 7th century AD Stone round houses found in 1950s – artisan workshops

Ten Years Digging - book by Charles Thomas, archaeologist — Ten Years Digging – book by Charles Thomas, archaeologist

Revealing Bronze Age Plough marks in the sand in 1960 on Godrevy Warren

General view of excavations in 1960 on Godrevy Warren

Ground plan of early Bronze Age house excavated at Godrevy Warren in 1960s

Excavations on Godrevy Warren in 1960s, tents and a temporary museum

Excavating a pebble-lined open hearth in a Bronze Age roundhouse in 1960s

Sampling the Bronze Age layers in the sand at Godrevy Warren in 2005

Charles Thomas digging at Godrevy Warren in 2005

Archaeological finds: discoveries and analysis

Three main phases of Bronze Age settlement have been recorded here, each separated by wind-blown sand, giving uniquely deep stratigraphy.

An early wooden oval building was found here and proved to be the first such evidence of an early dwelling house in Britain. Alongside were very important discoveries of early farming including wood charcoal, tools, cereal seeds.

There is a classic Bronze Age barrow nearby on Godrevy Headland, which demonstrates the close link humans have had here with the land. The surrounding landscape was abandoned after 1,000 BC – possibly following a major sand blow. Human evidence was then preserved under dunes for 3,000 years.

Post-Roman or post-’Dark Ages’ pottery was found in 1953 by a rabbit hole. This caused Professor Charles Thomas, who had led much of the local archaeological work, to excavate further and explore, and some possible artisan workshops were discovered. This discovery suggested trading links were highly likely between the Mediterranean and ‘citadel Tintagel’, which lay further up the coast to the east from Gwithian.

Crane Godrevy, sited at the point of highest altitude on Godrevy Warren, was a medieval manor, probably abandoned in the 17th Century, again probably due to sand incursion.

Bronze Age Weaving comb made of animal bone, found at Godrevy Warren

Rim of a Bronze Age cooking pot with cord impressed decoration, found at Godrevy Warren

Fragment of Post Roman imported amphora found at, found at Godrevy Warren

Grass-marked pottery 6th to 8th centuries AD found at, found at Godrevy Warren

Bar lug pottery 7th to 9th centuries AD, found at Godrevy Warren

Important excavations

During the 1950s and 1960s, Professor Charles Thomas, a local archaeologist and historian, led the excavations of five key sites. The first three of this list are situated on Godrevy Warren itself, the other two are within a mile radius.

1. Bronze Age farming settlement
Wooden and stone walled round houses were found alongside fields which were farmed – a unique preservation of plough marks in the sand dunes were found as wells animal footprints, with pottery (made in the settlement), metalwork, worked stones and flints tools, animal bone made into weaving combs and a lucet (like a croquet needle). Dated 1800-1000 BC, which is about 4000 years ago.

2. Post-Roman/ early medieval settlement
Found with wooden and stone buildings, making up an artisan’s workshop – showing evidence of metalworking, iron-smelting and pottery making such as bar-lug pots. Also found were exotic imported pottery such as fragments of amphora (storage vessels containing wine and olive oil) which came by sea to Gwithian from the Mediterranean world. Dated from 5th to 7-9th centuries AD, about 1200 years ago.

3. Crane Godrevy
This site contains stone buildings of a manor house dating from 12th to late 16th centuries AD. It was built within an earlier ditched enclosure dating from the late Iron Age to the Romano-British period and was occupied in the 11th century. It was abandoned when sand blows overwhelmed the place.

4. Godrevy Headland
On land now owned by National Trust, looking towards Godrevy lighthouse, there are remains of a Bronze Age barrow, a burial monument. Dated around 4500 years ago.

5. Porth Godrevy
This was a small Romano-British farmstead, providing good evidence for salt-making, dating from 1st to 2nd centuries AD.

Articles and publications

The following documents help illustrate the depth of the work that has been done on investigating the archaeology and history of Godrevy Warren.

Life and Death in a Cornish Valley – Jacqueline A Nowakowski, 2006

Gwithian – Dark age secrets from the dunes – Jacqueline A Nowakowski, 2008

Godrevy Warren – Archaeology Beneath the Dunes – Jacqueline A Nowakowski, 2019