Fogou from Pendeen
The Fogou Pendeen (also called Pendeen Vau) is an archaeological site 5 km north of St Just in Penwith on a farm near the lighthouse Pendeen in Cornwall . William Borlase Jr., one of the first scholars to study Cornish prehistory, was born in the eponymous village in 1695.
Fogou means "cave" and is the Cornish name for underground passages and chambers from the Iron Age . In Scotland , similar structures are called "Earthhouse" or "Weem". The generic term for these structures is basement . The original purpose of the Fogous is unknown. In the case of basements, a basic distinction is made between "rock-cut", "earth-cut", "stone built" and "mixed" basements.
The original entrance to the Fogou from Pendeen is unknown. Today's access is in a wall. Behind the portal the corridor runs about seven meters to the north and down. The ceiling stones are stepped here by the respective lintel height . At the lower end the corridor turns about 45 degrees to the left and then runs straight for about 10 m. There is a small opening at the end of this section. This passage shows the typical design of a Fogou. The wall tends slightly inwards towards the ceiling and forms a trapezoidal cross-section. The floor in the corridor is covered with large panels.
In the bend there is a 50 cm high opening near the floor. It leads into a 7.5 m long and 1.75 m wide chamber. It is about 1.25 m high in the middle and has a semicircular cross-section. This chamber is atypical for a Fogou, as it is a wallless cavity in Rab. "Rab" is the name given to a conglomerate of granite particles that are typical of Cornwall and are bound in clay . The chamber floor is ankle-deep covered with mud. There are puddles of water in the corner of the chamber and in some places in the hallway. A high water mark 50 cm above the chamber floor shows how high the water can rise.
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Coordinates: 50 ° 9 ′ 44.4 " N , 5 ° 40 ′ 6.8" W.