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Gwern Wynodl Hafod is a medieval platform house located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference DE247. The monument consists of an artificially levelled platform cut into the hillside, a characteristic feature of upland settlement in medieval Wales. This construction method allowed builders to create level domestic space on sloping terrain without requiring substantial structural foundations. The platform sits upon bedrock composed of Caradoc Rocks—mudstone, siltstone and sandstone deposits laid down during the Caradocian period—which provided a stable base for medieval occupation. The name suggests a seasonal summer dwelling or hafod, typical of pastoral communities practising transhumance in Welsh upland regions during the medieval period. Such hafod sites represent the archaeological evidence of seasonal pastoral movements between winter lowland settlements and summer upland pastures, a practice that shaped the Welsh landscape and economy for centuries.
Gwern Wynodl Hafod is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference DE247. View the official record →
Gwern Wynodl Hafod is a medieval platform house located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference DE247.
Gwern Wynodl Hafod dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a platform house. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Gwern Wynodl Hafod 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 DE247.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Moel Sych Round Barrow (4.2 km), Cwm Rhiwiau Stone Circle (5.1 km), Rhos-y-Beddau Stone Circle, Avenue and Cairn (5.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Gwern Wynodl Hafod'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.
Gwern Wynodl Hafod stands on Caradoc Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Caradocian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.