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Burry Holms Camp is a prehistoric promontory fort situated on the Welsh coast, defended by the natural geology of its setting and by deliberately constructed earthworks. The site occupies a promontory position where the landscape drops away sharply to the sea, a defensive advantage characteristic of Iron Age forts in coastal regions. The underlying Dinantian limestone and sandstone bedrock has weathered to create steep natural slopes that would have reinforced the fort's defensive capability, requiring attackers to approach uphill across exposed ground.
The fort's ramparts exploit the contoured terrain, cutting across the narrowest part of the promontory to create an enclosed stronghold. Promontory forts of this type were typically constructed to control coastal access, protect settlement, or serve as refuges during periods of conflict or instability. The limestone and sandstone bedrock, formed during the Mississippian period, would have provided stone for construction and determined the character of the landscape inhabitants worked within.
The site is now in the care of Cadw, the Welsh monuments authority, which maintains it as a scheduled monument. Its coastal setting means the fort remains subject to natural erosion processes, whilst its protected status ensures management of the archaeological record it contains. The combination of promontory fort design and this particular geology makes the site significant evidence of Iron Age settlement and defensive strategy in Wales.
Burry Holms Camp is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM088. View the official record →
Burry Holms Camp is a prehistoric promontory fort situated on the Welsh coast, defended by the natural geology of its setting and by deliberately constructed earthworks. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference GM088.
Burry Holms Camp dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a promontory fort - coastal. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Burry Holms Camp 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 GM088.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Remains of Medieval Building & Church at Rhossili (4.6 km), Old Castle Camp (4.7 km), Promontory Fort on Worms Head (5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Burry Holms Camp'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.
Burry Holms Camp stands on Dinantian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Mississippian. The rock here is limestone with subordinate sandstone and argillaceous rocks.