Scheduled MonumentsWalesGro Hill cairn cemetery
Prehistoric · Cairn Cemetery

Gro Hill cairn cemetery

Breconshire, Wales
Cadw SAM BR397
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Cairn Cemetery
Broad class
Religious, Ritual and Funerary
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Gro Hill cairn cemetery is a Bronze Age funerary monument located in Breconshire, Wales, comprising a cluster of burial cairns that represents a significant prehistoric ritual landscape. The site consists of multiple cairn structures typical of Bronze Age mortuary practice in upland Wales, reflecting the use of elevated terrain for ceremonial burial grounds during the second millennium BC. The cairns at Gro Hill demonstrate the architectural conventions of the period, with stone-built mounds constructed to mark individual or collective burials, and their distribution across the hilltop suggests repeated ritual use over an extended period. This monument grouping is indicative of the importance placed by Bronze Age communities on monumental funerary display and the territorial significance of high-ground burial locations in the prehistoric Welsh landscape.

Gro Hill cairn cemetery is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR397. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Gro Hill cairn cemetery?

Gro Hill cairn cemetery is a Bronze Age funerary monument located in Breconshire, Wales, comprising a cluster of burial cairns that represents a significant prehistoric ritual landscape. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference BR397.

What period does Gro Hill cairn cemetery date from?

Gro Hill cairn cemetery dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a cairn cemetery. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Gro Hill cairn cemetery?

Gro Hill cairn cemetery 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 BR397.

What other scheduled monuments are near Gro Hill cairn cemetery?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Gorllwyn round cairns (3.6 km), Gurnos ring cairn (4.4 km), Darren round cairn (5.9 km).

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