To visit Boscawen-Un (thought to mean 'the elder tree on the downs') is to walk in one of Cornwall's most mysterious and Otherworldly stone circles - enclosed by a circular hedge boundary of Blackthorn and Furze (Gorse) with views accross to the infamous and equally mysterious site of St Buryan Church in the distance. The circle has thankfully been relieved of a low Cornish hedge that once bisected it which can be seen in early photographs of the site.
The Circle is made up of 19 stones with another, taller, off-centre leaning stone 8ft in length. This stone interestingly alligns exactly with St Buryan Church and the holed stone of the Men-an-Tol site. There is some arguement as to whether this stone was originaly erected in its leaning position (as suggested by excavations conducted in 1864) or has taken this position following disturbance from treasure hunters. It has been suggested that the leaning stone originally existed as a lone standing-stone at the site and the circle possibly having been added later in the Bronze Age. Near the base of the leaning stone are thought to be carvings of two hand-axes.
All but one of the stones are of grante, in the WSW of the circle is the unusual feature of a cubical stone of quartz. This is referred to by some as 'the mother stone'.
