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Garw Fynydd Cairn is a prehistoric platform cairn located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference DE274. The monument sits upon bedrock of Wenlock age sandstone and conglomerate, a durable foundation formed during the Silurian period. This geological base, composed of interbedded layers of sandstone and conglomerate, would have provided a stable platform for the cairn's construction and has helped preserve the site through millennia.
Platform cairns represent a distinctive form of prehistoric funerary monument, typically constructed during the Bronze Age. Built directly upon the natural bedrock, they served as burial structures and ritual focal points for their communities. The specific geology of Wenlock Rocks at this location—its alternating bands of sandstone and conglomerate—would have influenced both the availability of building stone and the practical methods employed by prehistoric builders.
The monument's preservation under Cadw's statutory protection recognises its significance as a record of prehistoric Welsh burial practices and settlement patterns. The site remains an important archaeological resource for understanding Bronze Age funerary customs and the relationship between prehistoric communities and their landscape. The Wenlock bedrock continues to form part of the wider geological and archaeological context that defines this area of Wales.
Garw Fynydd Cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference DE274. View the official record →
Garw Fynydd Cairn is a prehistoric platform cairn located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference DE274.
Garw Fynydd Cairn dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a platform cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Garw Fynydd Cairn 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 DE274.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Moel Fodig Camp (6.8 km), Rug Mound (7.1 km), Capel y Rug (7.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Garw Fynydd Cairn'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.
Garw Fynydd Cairn stands on Wenlock Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.