Scheduled MonumentsWalesCorn y Fan Camp
Prehistoric · Hillfort

Corn y Fan Camp

Breconshire, Wales
Cadw SAM BR051
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Hillfort
Broad class
Defence
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Corn y Fan Camp is a prehistoric hillfort situated on Welsh upland terrain underlain by Ludlow Rocks, the undifferentiated mudstone, siltstone and sandstone formations of the Ludlow age. The monument is protected by Cadw, the Welsh heritage organisation, under reference BR051.

The hillfort occupies a naturally defensive position where the solid geology provides a stable foundation for fortification works. Hillforts of this type typically date to the Iron Age, though some may have origins in the Bronze Age, and served as communal centres for storage, administration and refuge. The mudstone and siltstone bedrock underlying the site would have weathered to create suitable conditions for both agriculture on surrounding slopes and the construction of earthwork defences.

The camp's survival as an upland monument reflects the patterns of settlement and land-use in prehistoric Wales, where such fortified sites were positioned to command significant tracts of territory. Today it remains a tangible record of Iron Age society and engineering, preserved within the Welsh landscape that shaped its builders' choice of location.

Corn y Fan Camp is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR051. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Corn y Fan Camp?

Corn y Fan Camp is a prehistoric hillfort situated on Welsh upland terrain underlain by Ludlow Rocks, the undifferentiated mudstone, siltstone and sandstone formations of the Ludlow age. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference BR051.

What period does Corn y Fan Camp date from?

Corn y Fan Camp dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a hillfort. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Corn y Fan Camp?

Corn y Fan 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 BR051.

What other scheduled monuments are near Corn y Fan Camp?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Twyn-y-Gaer (7.4 km), Cross-Slab in Churchyard (7.7 km), Earthwork 675m W of Dan-y-Cefn (8.7 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Corn y Fan Camp

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Corn y Fan Camp's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Corn y Fan Camp

Corn y Fan Camp stands on Ludlow Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Ludlow. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.