The burial chamber on Porth Hellick Down is one of the most complete and impressive monuments from the Bronze Age. Dating from around 1,500 BC, the chamber is the largest in a group of seven and lies on high ground near a prehistoric field system.
The chamber consists of a circular structure around 12 metres in diameter, demarcated by a kerb of vertical stone slabs. An entrance passage leads to the main chamber which measures 3.5 metres long and 1.5 metres high. This chamber is roofed with four massive horizontal stones. The junction between the entrance passage and the burial chamber is constrained by a projecting vertical jambstone.
The site was excavated in 1899, only pottery shards were unearthed, any burials having been removed at an earlier date. Similar sites on the Isles have Scilly have yielded cremated remains of up to 60 individuals. The site is free to visit at any reasonable time.
