St Buryan village is dominated by the massive granite tower and church of St Buriana on raised ground right in the centre of the village. The building seems unusually large and significant for such a small community but the site of St Buryan Church is one of the most important in West Penwith.
The mighty 92 foot tower has for centuries acted as a daylight beacon for shipping and is to be found on medieval shipping charts, and the churchyard, almost circular in shape, is a good example of a pre-Norman enclosure. There are considered to be more relics from the Iron age, Bronze age, and early Christianity in this parish than anywhere else in the country.
An inconclusive survey, by Cornwall Committee for Rescue Archeology during road widening along the eastern boundary in 1985, suggested traces of part of a wall and defending ditch of an Iron Age or Romano-British round. It is still not clear though, whether the site is a typical early Celtic Lan or whether it makes use of an existing Iron Age enclosure.
The whole area is steeped in history with the highest concentration of ancient Celtic monuments to be found in the UK. Close to the village are two Neolithic stone circles, The Merry Maidens and Boscawen-Un, and a number of stone crosses with notable examples in and around the Church.