Ballowall Barrow (also known as Carn Gloose barrow) is an impressively large and complex prehistoric site on a dramatic stretch of the West Penwith coastline. Dating back to the Bronze Age the barrow is believed to have been built by local communities as a shrine or tomb for their dead.
The site is formed of two concentric drystone walls in which there are a number of small chambers known as cists. When excavated these were found to contain burnt bones and pottery fragments.
It is likely that the barrow was originally covered and may have been a type of entrance grave. Ballowall Barrow was altered and rebuilt quite extensively by the antiquarian William Borlase who excavated the site in 1876.
