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Dateline: 18th July, 2004
Medieval Amphitheatre May Close Plen-an-Gwary, a medieval amphitheatre in St Just, Cornwall, said to be the oldest working theatre in Britain and used by local drama groups, may have to close. An adjacent plot of land and hut, used as the backstage area and changing room, is to be sold by its owners, the Royal British Legion, for £70,000 but the local groups cannot raise that amount. Ross Williams, director of Cornwall Arts Centre Trust, said the sale was a "once in a lifetime opportunity" to preserve the Plen as a working theatre." It is one of only two remaining examples of a medieval 'playing place' left in Cornwall. The other is St Piran's Round, near Perranporth. The Plen, an amphitheatre, lies just off Bank Square and is the site at which, until about AD 1600, Cornish ‘miracle’ plays were shown to the public. The Plen was described by William Borlase in 1762 as:
In August the complete cycle of Cornish Mystery Plays will be performed at the Plen for the first time in 500 years. Please note that all three Archive indices are very long and will therefore take some time to download.
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