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House Platforms to W of Mynydd Machen is a medieval settlement site comprising earthwork platforms that mark the foundations of former dwellings. Located in Wales, the platforms are situated on bedrock of the South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation, a sequence of mudstone, siltstone, and sandstone laid down during the Westphalian period, interspersed with coal and ironstone deposits. The underlying geology has shaped both the site's development and the landscape's character, with ferricrete layers adding to the varied terrain.
The house platforms represent the rural domestic settlement pattern typical of medieval Wales. Built into the sloping ground, these terraced platforms would have been levelled to provide level building surfaces for timber or stone structures, a common construction method in upland and semi-upland regions where natural gradient presented challenges. The arrangement suggests a small, dispersed settlement community rather than a nucleated village.
The site is protected by Cadw, the Welsh Historic Monuments service, under the reference MM337, recognising its importance to understanding medieval settlement patterns and land use in the region. Such platforms are often abandoned due to changes in settlement preferences, agricultural practice, or economic circumstances, though they remain visible as subtle but persistent features in the Welsh landscape, preserving evidence of communities that occupied these hillsides centuries ago.
House Platforms to W of Mynydd Machen is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference MM337. View the official record →
House Platforms to W of Mynydd Machen is a medieval settlement site comprising earthwork platforms that mark the foundations of former dwellings. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference MM337.
House Platforms to W of Mynydd Machen dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a house platform. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
House Platforms to W of Mynydd Machen 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 MM337.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Ruperra Castle (3.8 km), Croes Carn Einion Roman Site (5.1 km), Castle Field Camp E Of Craig-Llywn (6.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of House Platforms to W of Mynydd Machen'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.
House Platforms to W of Mynydd Machen stands on South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation, bedrock that formed in the Westphalian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete.