Lanyon Quoit, Cornwall, England

© Guy Edwardes/Minden Picture

Lanyon Quoit, England

Today we’re in Cornwall, south-west England, looking at an impressive archaeological monument dating from the Neolithic period. Believed to be a burial chamber or a mausoleum, Lanyon Quoit has three support stones which stand 1.5 metres tall. These are topped by a capstone which is 5.5 metres long and weighs more than 12 tonnes. However, it hasn’t always looked this way. Lanyon Quoit originally had four supporting stones and was tall enough to allow a horse and rider to pass underneath. But it collapsed in 1815 during a storm and was rebuilt nine years later. It is also known as ‘Giant’s Table’, which relates to a local legend that a giant’s bones were found in the tomb.