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Bryn-Celli-Ddu Standing Stone is a prehistoric standing stone located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference AN085. The monument rises from bedrock of hornblende schist, a metamorphic rock formed during the Neoproterozoic era and representative of the ancient geology underlying much of Wales. This deep geological foundation anchors the stone firmly in one of Britain's oldest landscapes.
Standing stones of this type were typically erected during the Neolithic or Bronze Age, serving purposes ranging from territorial markers to ritual or funerary monuments. Their placement often responded to local topography and the natural stone resources available. The Bryn-Celli-Ddu example exploits the metamorphic bedrock characteristic of its region, demonstrating how prehistoric communities worked with the geological constraints and affordances of their immediate environment.
The monument remains a tangible record of early prehistoric activity in Wales and contributes to understanding settlement patterns and ritual practices across Neolithic and Bronze Age Britain. Its survival and official protection ensure it continues as evidence of the deep antiquity of human presence and organisation in the Welsh landscape.
Bryn-Celli-Ddu Standing Stone is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference AN085. View the official record →
Bryn-Celli-Ddu Standing Stone is a prehistoric standing stone located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference AN085.
Bryn-Celli-Ddu Standing Stone dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a standing stone. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Bryn-Celli-Ddu Standing Stone 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 AN085.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Castell Caernarfon (8 km), Caernarfon Town Walls (8 km), Segontium Roman Fort (8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Bryn-Celli-Ddu Standing Stone'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.
Bryn-Celli-Ddu Standing Stone stands on Unnamed Metamorphic Rocks, Neoproterozoic, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is hornblende schist.