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Cefn Llydan Circle is a prehistoric stone circle located in Wales, protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference MG260. The monument stands on bedrock composed of Wenlock Rocks, a geological formation of interbedded sandstone and conglomerate dating to the Wenlock period. This solid foundation of local stone would have been readily available to the prehistoric communities who constructed the circle, making it a natural choice of building material and site.
Stone circles are amongst the most iconic monuments of later prehistoric Britain and Ireland, typically erected during the Bronze Age, though some may have Neolithic origins. These structures served various purposes, from ritual and ceremonial gatherings to astronomical observations and territorial markers. Their enduring presence in the landscape suggests their continued significance across generations.
Cefn Llydan Circle contributes to the distribution pattern of such monuments across Wales, part of a wider cultural tradition that spread across the upland and moorland regions of Britain. The specific positioning on Wenlock bedrock reflects how prehistoric communities worked within the constraints and opportunities of their local geology and topography, adapting their engineering traditions to suit the materials and landscape available to them.
Cefn Llydan Circle is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference MG260. View the official record →
Cefn Llydan Circle is a prehistoric stone circle located in Wales, protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference MG260.
Cefn Llydan Circle dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a stone circle. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Cefn Llydan Circle 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 MG260.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Caersws Roman Fort and Vicus: section in SE part of vicus (5.8 km), Bron-Felin Mound & Bailey Castle (6 km), Caersws Roman Fort and Vicus: section in southern part of vicus (6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Cefn Llydan Circle'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.
Cefn Llydan Circle stands on Wenlock Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.