Halliggye Fogou is one of many
fogou
A fogou or fougou (pronounced "foo-goo") is an underground, dry-stone structure found on Iron Age or Romano-British-defended settlement sites in Cornwall. The original purpose of a fogou is uncertain today. Colloquially called , , , giant holts ...
s in
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
, England, United Kingdom.
The site is under the guardianship of
English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses.
The charity states that i ...
, and managed by the
Trelowarren Estate, where the fogou is located. Entry to the fogou is free but there is a charge to enter the rest of the Trelowarren Estate.
The Halliggye Fogou consists of a long narrow tunnel leading to three sectioned chambers, and a window-like entrance which was dug in Victorian times by supposed treasure hunters (this has since been filled in).
The complex of passages has a roof and walls of stone, and is the largest and best-preserved of several mysterious tunnels associated with Cornish Iron Age settlements.
It was described by
Sir Richard Vyvyan in his "Account of the ‘fogou’ or cave at Halligey, Trelowarren", in the ''Journal of the Royal Institution of Cornwall'' (1885, viii. 256–58) In 1861, J. T. Blight wrote a comprehensive description and drafted plans of the fogou in conjunction with Sir Richard Vyvyan, the landowner who listed finds as a vase containing ashes and a roughly made cup, both of Celtic manufacture, and animal bones possibly from a deer.
In the 1980s, a series of small excavations were carried out by English Heritage mainly to clear debris from the passage to aid examination and repair work after routine ploughing of the field, when the blade of the plough breached the roof of the main chamber: this hole has since been turned into an entrance stairway for visitors. Pottery found during excavations has included local Iron Age cordoned wares and some sherds of Roman Samian ware from southern Gaul.
It was used during the Second World War by the
Manaccan
Manaccan (; kw, Manahan) is a civil parish and village on the Lizard peninsula in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. The village is about five miles (8 km) south-southwest of Falmouth.
The origin of the name Manaccan is probably derived ...
Auxiliary Unit
The Auxiliary Units or GHQ Auxiliary Units were specially-trained, highly-secret quasi military units created by the British government during the Second World War with the aim of using irregular warfare in response to a possible invasion of the ...
as an explosives and ammunition store.
See also
*
Petrosomatoglyph
A petrosomatoglyph is a supposed image of parts of a human or animal body in rock. They occur all over the world, often functioning as an important form of symbolism, used in religious and secular ceremonies, such as the crowning of kings. Some a ...
Symbolism
References
External links
{{Commons category, Halliggye Fogou
History on Halliggye Fogou: English Heritage
Buildings and structures in Cornwall
English Heritage sites in Cornwall
Iron Age sites in Cornwall
Prehistoric sites in Cornwall
Military history of Cornwall
Fogous