© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw
Nant Tawe Fechan Burnt Mound is a prehistoric burnt mound located in Wales and protected as a monument of national importance by Cadw under reference BR406. Burnt mounds are substantial accumulations of fire-cracked stone, charcoal and ash that represent the remains of ancient heating and cooking activities, typically dating to the Bronze Age. This example stands upon bedrock of Lower Devonian age, comprising interbedded sandstone and conglomerate that formed during the Early Devonian period.
The site exploits the local geology characteristic of its upland Welsh location. The sandstone and conglomerate bedrock would have provided ready sources of suitable stone for heating in fires, whilst the valley setting of the Nant Tawe Fechan (the stream name indicates water proximity) offered the water essential for the cooking process. In burnt mound technology, heated stones were dropped into water-filled troughs or pits to boil the contents, used for cooking meat, processing hides or heating water for bathing.
The mound itself accumulates the debris from countless episodes of this repetitive process, creating a distinctive archaeological signature. Burnt mounds cluster in certain regions of Britain and Ireland, and their concentration in Welsh valleys suggests these locations held particular importance for Bronze Age communities, whether for seasonal gathering, ceremonial feasting or specialised food processing activities.
Nant Tawe Fechan Burnt Mound is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR406. View the official record →
Nant Tawe Fechan Burnt Mound is a prehistoric burnt mound located in Wales and protected as a monument of national importance by Cadw under reference BR406.
Nant Tawe Fechan Burnt Mound dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a burnt mound. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Nant Tawe Fechan Burnt Mound 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 BR406.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cribarth Limestone Quarries and Tramroads (4.9 km), Lorfa stone circle (6.7 km), Lefel Fawr Coal Adit (7.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Nant Tawe Fechan Burnt Mound'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.
Nant Tawe Fechan Burnt Mound stands on Lower Devonian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.