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Hendre-Waelod Burial Chamber is a prehistoric chambered long cairn situated in Wales and protected as a scheduled ancient monument under Cadw reference DE125. The monument dates to the Neolithic period, when communal burial practices were established across Britain and Ireland. These long cairns typically served as focal points for early farming communities, marking territorial claims and serving ritual and ceremonial functions over generations.
The cairn is constructed upon bedrock of Wenlock age, comprising alternating beds of sandstone and conglomerate that would have been readily available from the immediate landscape. These durable local stones formed the core and retaining walls of the monument, while the burial chamber itself would have been built using larger stone slabs to create an internal mortuary space. The interbedded geology created a varied stone resource suitable for both construction and tool-making.
Chambered long cairns of this type typically measure between 30 and 70 metres in length and 15 to 20 metres in width, with burial chambers positioned at one end. The monument represents one of the earliest forms of monumental architecture in Wales, constructed by communities whose subsistence relied upon domesticated crops and livestock. Such sites provide crucial evidence for understanding early Neolithic settlement, ritual practice and social organisation across prehistoric Wales.
Hendre-Waelod Burial Chamber is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference DE125. View the official record →
Hendre-Waelod Burial Chamber is a prehistoric chambered long cairn situated in Wales and protected as a scheduled ancient monument under Cadw reference DE125.
Hendre-Waelod Burial Chamber dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a chambered long cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Hendre-Waelod Burial Chamber 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 DE125.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Kanovium Roman Site (4.5 km), Early Fields & Dwellings Nr Maen y Bardd (6.3 km), Pen y Gaer Camp (6.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Hendre-Waelod Burial Chamber'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.
Hendre-Waelod Burial Chamber stands on Wenlock Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.