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Blaen Clydach Fach platform cairn is a prehistoric platform cairn located in Wales. The monument sits on bedrock of Lower Devonian rocks, comprising mudstone, siltstone and sandstone laid down in the Early Devonian period. This geological foundation of mixed sedimentary deposits would have provided a stable base for the cairn's construction.
Platform cairns are Neolithic and Bronze Age structures consisting of a stone platform built into sloping ground, typically surmounted by a burial cairn. The broad platform base reduced the need for extensive stone working on steep terrain, making them practical monuments for upland locations. Such cairns frequently served as communal or prestigious burial sites.
Blaen Clydach Fach platform cairn is protected by Cadw under reference BR349, recognising its archaeological significance as a surviving prehistoric monument. The site's preservation has ensured that evidence of Neolithic or Bronze Age burial practice and ceremonial activity remains available for study and contributes to understanding prehistoric settlement patterns across Wales.
Blaen Clydach Fach platform cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR349. View the official record →
Blaen Clydach Fach platform cairn is a prehistoric platform cairn located in Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference BR349.
Blaen Clydach Fach platform cairn dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a platform cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Blaen Clydach Fach platform cairn is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is BR349.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Gwern-Wyddog Standing Stone (4.4 km), Mynydd Myddfai Standing Stones (6.3 km), Troed Rhiw Wen Prehistoric Standing Stone (6.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Blaen Clydach Fach platform cairn's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Blaen Clydach Fach platform cairn stands on Lower Devonian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.