Scheduled MonumentsWalesPen-y-Castell Camp
Prehistoric · Hillfort

Pen-y-Castell Camp

Wales
Cadw SAM GM240
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Hillfort
Broad class
Defence
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

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Overview

History & significance

Pen-y-Castell Camp is a prehistoric hillfort located in Wales, designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument under Cadw reference GM240. The site occupies a defensive position characteristic of Iron Age settlement patterns, with earthwork defences comprising banks and ditches that follow the contours of the hilltop. Such hillforts served as communal centres for Iron Age communities, functioning as places of refuge, storage, and social assembly during a period of increasing social complexity and inter-community competition. The monument represents the strategic landscape management practices of Iron Age Wales, where elevated positions provided both practical defensive advantages and symbolic assertion of territorial control.

Pen-y-Castell Camp is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM240. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Pen-y-Castell Camp?

Pen-y-Castell Camp is a prehistoric hillfort located in Wales, designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument under Cadw reference GM240. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference GM240.

What period does Pen-y-Castell Camp date from?

Pen-y-Castell Camp dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a hillfort. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across Britain.

Who is responsible for protecting Pen-y-Castell Camp?

Pen-y-Castell Camp 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 GM240.

What other scheduled monuments are near Pen-y-Castell Camp?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Hutchwns round barrow (5.8 km), Merthyr Mawr Warren (6.1 km), Candleston Castle (6.2 km).

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