© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw
Blaen-Cwmbach Earthwork is a prehistoric enclosure located in Wales and protected by Cadw as a scheduled monument under reference GM277. The site sits upon bedrock of the South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation, a sequence of mudstone, siltstone, sandstone with coal seams and ironstone laid down during the Westphalian period of the Carboniferous. This geology has shaped both the landscape and the construction materials available to its prehistoric builders.
The earthwork comprises an enclosed area defined by banks and ditches, typical of prehistoric settlement or ceremonial sites in the British landscape. Such enclosures served varied purposes across centuries, from domestic occupation to gathering places, and their physical form often reflects the topography of their setting. The ferricrete deposits within the underlying strata would have weathered to create iron-rich soil, influencing drainage and vegetation patterns on the monument itself.
The survival of the earthwork's banks and ditches allows understanding of prehistoric land use in South Wales, a region rich in Carboniferous resources. Though the specific date of construction remains undetermined without excavation, the monument's form places it within the broader tradition of prehistoric enclosed sites that characterise the Welsh landscape from the Neolithic through Iron Age periods.
Blaen-Cwmbach Earthwork is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM277. View the official record →
Blaen-Cwmbach Earthwork is a prehistoric enclosure located in Wales and protected by Cadw as a scheduled monument under reference GM277.
Blaen-Cwmbach Earthwork dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a enclosure. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Blaen-Cwmbach Earthwork 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 GM277.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cwmafan copper works flue (5.6 km), Craig Ty-Isaf Camp (6.6 km), Cae'r Mynydd Ventilation Furnace and Mine (7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Blaen-Cwmbach Earthwork'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-Cwmbach Earthwork stands on South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation, bedrock that formed in the Westphalian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete.