Halliggye Fogou is shrouded in mystery with historians and archaeologists still unsure of its use (Image: Getty)
An ancient tunnel that was built more than two millennia ago continues to baffle experts still today.
The tunnel, known as Halliggye Fogou, is shrouded in mystery. Historians and are still unsure what these subterranean tunnels were used for nearly 2,000 years ago.
Based in Helston near , Halliggye Fogou is one of the more curious tourist attractions in the UK.
The tunnel consists of several complex passages, all roofed and walled in stone.
The tunnels are thought to date from the 5th or 4th century BC and were once part of a small farming settlement, likely to have been occupied until the end of the Roman period.
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Halliggye Fogou is one of the more curious tourist attractions in the UK. (Image: Getty)
The Iron Age underground chamber is believed to have been used for at least 700 years.
“It is one of the largest and best-preserved of several mysterious underground tunnels associated with Cornish Iron Age settlements,” wrote English Heritage.
It added: “The purpose of such ‘fogous’ – a Cornish-language word meaning cave – is unknown, but they may have been places of refuge, storage chambers or ritual shrines.”
Halliggye Fogou is also one of the best examples of a Fogous, which is from the Cornish word ‘ogo’, which means cave. It is found only in the far west of Cornwall.
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Halliggye Fogou is an Iron Age underground chamber with a number of complex passages. (Image: Getty)
Halliggye Fogou is a sprawling complex that includes a 20-metre-long stone-lined chamber and a 28-metre-long curvilinear passage that branches off it, leading to a much smaller chamber.
According to Heritage Gateway, Halliggye Fogou was possibly a defended Iron Age homestead on the Trelowarren Estate.
It is a large, sprawling complex that includes a 20-metre-long stone-lined chamber with a 28-metre-long curvilinear passage branching off it, leading to a much smaller side chamber.
Halliggye Fogou is open during any reasonable daylight hours. The interior is closed from October 1st to April 30th due to roosting bats.
One person who visited the site wrote a review on TripAdvisor and wrote: “Well worth the visit. Make sure you visit when it’s unlocked, the information is clear and on the English Heritage website, good on them for helping the bats!
“You must take a torch, and not a mobile, a proper torch, makes the world of difference.”
Another added: “Combine this with the exhibits in the Helston Folk Museum and take yourself back 5000 years.
“Then go to New Yard Restaurant and remind yourself how lucky we are.”