Lanyon Quoit

Lanyon Quoit is a dolmen in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, 2 miles southeast of Morvah [1]. It collapsed in a storm in 1815 and was re-erected nine years later, and as a result the dolmen is now very different from its original appearance [1]. Lanyon Quoit currently has three support stones which stand to a height of 1.5 metres [1]. These bear a capstone which is 5.5 metres long, and which weighs more than 12 tonnes [1]. In the eighteenth century, the quoit had four supporting stones and the structure was tall enough for a person on horseback to ride under [1]. One of the original stones was considered too badly damaged to put back in place, thus there are only three uprights today and the structure does not stand so high as it once did [1]. In 1769, William Borlase described the megalithic site for the first time in a publication, illustrated with etchings in which the Lanyon Quoit's design and floor plan has a different look from today, given changes made following its 1815 collapse [1].