For some, it is the UK’s equivalent to one of the wonders of the world, a curious and almost unexplainable feat of engineering to match any.
The eerie landmark has persisted in Cornwall for years, though occasionally disappears for long periods only to reemerge.
It is, of course, Cornwall’s Great Wall of China: a stretch of tea and coffee mugs placed along a wall straddling their A39 between Playing Place and Truro.
First emerging without warning in 2017, the mugs have come and gone ever since.
This month, locals were equal parts surprised and overcome with joy when they saw the mugs had returned.
As the mystery grew over whodunnit back in 2017, so too did the number of mugs.
It peaked in the late summer of 2018 when no less than 40 mugs lined the roadside wall, along with one candelabra for added mystique.
The mugs were removed, and the wall stayed tidy until September 2023.
It was then that two mugs, apparently out of nowhere, appeared on the wall.
For those looking, it was a sign. By the end of November the number had grown to nine, each mug placed a certain distance from the other.
Observers aren’t exactly sure what the distance between each vessel means, but experts say similar sites around the country like Stonehenge were used for celestial activities, such as observing the night sky.
Conspiracy theorists have arrived in their droves to try and explain why the freak occurrence.
While some say they have been left in tribute to some unknown person who died, others say they poke fun at roadworkers forever on tea breaks who take too long on the job. Still, others say the mugs represent a reminder to passersby to take some time out. Whatever their reason, the mugs of Cornwall continue to capture the imaginations of all who see them.
