More information : [SW 3702 3142] Amphitheatre [NR] (1)
St. Just Plan an Guare. (2)
'.. near the church of St. Just was an exact circle of 126 ft. diameter; the perpendicular height of the bank, from the area within, now 7ft, but the height from the bottom of the ditch without, 10ft. at present, formerly more. The seats [of stone] consist of six steps, fourteen inches wide, and one foot high, with one on the top of all, where the rampart is about 7 ft. wide...' [See AO/59/377/8.]
The Plain-an-Gwarry, St. Just is one of the two best known mediaeval playing places in Cornwall. It was excavated by the St. Just Branch of Toc H in 1956.A small round, corbelled chamber, reputed to have stepsleading downwards, was enclosed in the wall and bank. The household debris and pottery found was all modern. All the soils revealed [see section] except the lowest layer and the rab, appear to be the produce of modern or recent modifications to the Plain-an-Gwarry. The bank has been considerably heightened by the addition of urban waste material, which also covers the Plain, possibly by deliberate intent.... It seems reasonable to suppose that prior to the 'Restoration' in
the 19th C, when the Plain was enclosed with a dry stone retaining wall on the outside, all that remained was a low ruinous ring mound.
[See AO/59/377/7] (3)
Amphitheatre. Visited 1st Dec. 1943.
It is now a level piece of ground surrounded by a bank of earth, the top of which now, near the entrance from Bank Square is only
about 5' high. The bank is sloping on the inside but is built up
perpendicularly on the outer face with a stone wall on the west and south. A few blocks of granite lie scattered in the arena. Now no sign of seats on the bank, but the retaining walls on either side of the entrance give an idea of the tiers of seats. (4)
The playing place is as described by Guthrie and Beckerlegge. The outer retaining wall has a maximum height of 2.0m and inner slopes 1.7m. The two entrances, one to the NE and the other to the SE have modern walling to retain the bank. Some mutilation has occurred on the east where there are two gaps in the slope to give access to buildings. On the west side at ground level is a small recess in the retaining wall. It measures 1.0m.square and 0.5m. high and apparently marks the position of the corbelled chamber referred to by Guthrie. A 25" survey has been made. (5)
No change, Plen an Gwary is the most up to date version of the name.
(6)
Plain an Gwary listed. (7)
Scheduled under Rounds. (8)
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