Scheduled MonumentsWalesNanna's Cave
Prehistoric · Cave

Nanna's Cave

Pembrokeshire, Wales
Cadw SAM PE425
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Cave
Broad class
Monument
Nation
Wales
The designation
Reference
Cadw SAM PE425
Authority
Cadw
Designated
1986-09-11
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Nanna's Cave is a prehistoric cave situated in Wales and carved into Devonian claystone bedrock. The underlying geology of consolidated Carboniferous deposits, including sandstone, siltstone and carbonates, has created the conditions for cave formation in this region. The site is protected by Cadw, the Welsh heritage organisation, under reference PE425.

The claystone bedrock, formed during the Devonian period and subsequently buried beneath Carboniferous sediments, provides the stable geological foundation typical of Welsh cave systems. Such caves often contain evidence of occupation spanning thousands of years, from the earliest hunter-gatherers through to later prehistoric peoples who exploited the natural shelter offered by these limestone and claystone formations.

Nanna's Cave represents an important record of human activity in prehistoric Wales. Like other caves in the region, it would have served as a refuge and temporary or permanent dwelling for successive generations. The protected status of the site ensures that its archaeological potential and geological significance are preserved for future study and public understanding of Wales's deep human history.

Nanna's Cave is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference PE425. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Nanna's Cave?

Nanna's Cave is a prehistoric cave situated in Wales and carved into Devonian claystone bedrock. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference PE425.

What period does Nanna's Cave date from?

Nanna's Cave dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a cave. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Nanna's Cave?

Nanna's Cave 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 PE425.

What other scheduled monuments are near Nanna's Cave?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Potter`s Cave (0.3 km), Daylight Rock Mesolithic Site (0.5 km), Fort St Catherine (3.4 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Nanna's Cave

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Nanna's Cave's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Nanna's Cave

Nanna's Cave stands on Devonian claystone, bedrock that formed in the Carboniferous. The rock here is major:{claystone}, Minor{sandstone,siltstone,carbonates, consolidated}.