This press was discovered in 2018 during the development of the St Erth Multi Modal Hub (a sustainable transport interchange for West Cornwall).
It is difficult to date but we would place it somewhere between the 17th and 19th Century: sometime during the Gregorian, late Modern or Victorian Era where cider was a major part of Estate production. Because this cider press is small, it is likely it would have been used for domestic production. A cider press like this would have been used to crush apples or pears during cider production.
This grooved stone is the base stone and would have sat underneath the press. It would collect the juice from the fruit which would then run into the groove and out of the spout into a bucket.
Illustration by Naomi Sheppard.
