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THIS OBJECT IS PART OF THE PROJECT 'A HISTORY OF CORNWALL IN 100 OBJECTS'.

WAYSIDE MUSEUM, ZENNOR. Saddle querns were used for grinding corn. Grain was put on the concave lower stone and broken by moving the long rounded stone backwards and forwards over it. They were replaced by rotary querns in the Roman period and then by water-powered mills. The earliest mill at the Wayside museum dates back to 1513. Recently restored during an enforced closure following the 2009 floods, this mill is now grinding flour again after a gap of 150 years.

All three querns in the photograph come from Zennor parish. Their original sites were at the ancient settlements of Porthmeor, Trewey-Foage and Kerrow. Water worn, as well as ground down, the Porthmeor quern stone was sourced from the cove below.

Photo: Bernie Pettersen