St Piran's Cross
By The Cornwall Guide. Last updated
Sandy Gerrard
St Piran's Cross is the earliest recorded stone cross in Cornwall, located among the sand dunes of Penhale Sands, between Perranporth and Newquay. Close by is the sand-buried church known as St Piran's Oratory, also dedicated to the patron saint of Cornwall and of tin mining. St Piran's Cross, which stands eight feet high, was already a well-established landmark by the time it was mentioned in the charter of King Edgar in AD 906.
