© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw
Coed Pentwyn Hillfort is a prehistoric hillfort in Wales, protected by Cadw under reference BR190. The fort occupies high ground underlain by Lower Devonian sandstone and conglomerate bedrock, formed during the Early Devonian period. This rocky foundation provided natural defensibility and stone resources for construction.
The hillfort's defences typically comprise one or more ramparts with associated ditches, a characteristic design of Iron Age fortifications across Britain and Wales. Such structures served as communal refuges, centres of authority, and focal points for agricultural and pastoral communities. The commanding position of the site would have offered strategic views across surrounding terrain, essential for territorial control and early warning against approach.
The wooded landscape that gives the hillfort its modern name obscures the original appearance of this ancient stronghold. In prehistory, the hillfort would have stood within a cleared or partially cleared landscape, its earthworks and palisades clearly visible as symbols of power and community organisation. Archaeological investigation remains limited, but the site's upland location and defensive design place it within the broader pattern of Iron Age settlement in Wales.
Coed Pentwyn Hillfort is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR190. View the official record →
Coed Pentwyn Hillfort is a prehistoric hillfort in Wales, protected by Cadw under reference BR190.
Coed Pentwyn Hillfort dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a hillfort. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Coed Pentwyn Hillfort 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 BR190.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Sirhowy Ironworks, Site of (8 km), Brake Engine on Hill Pits Tramroad Incline (8 km), Pwll Du Tunnel (8.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Coed Pentwyn Hillfort'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.
Coed Pentwyn Hillfort stands on Lower Devonian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.