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Pen y Gadair Fawr is a platform cairn of prehistoric date, located in Wales and protected as an ancient monument by Cadw under reference BR311. Platform cairns are Neolithic or Bronze Age structures consisting of artificially flattened platforms bounded by stone kerbs, typically used for ritual or ceremonial purposes. The monument sits on bedrock of Lower Devonian age, comprising interbedded sandstone and conglomerate formed during the Early Devonian period, which has shaped both the underlying geology and the stone available for construction at this location.
The monument occupies a specific landscape position determined by the underlying geological formations and local topography. The Devonian sandstone and conglomerate bedrock would have been the primary stone source for constructing the platform structure and any associated features. Such geological circumstances are integral to understanding how prehistoric communities selected and utilised sites, drawing on immediately available materials for their monumental works.
As a scheduled ancient monument under Cadw's protection, Pen y Gadair Fawr represents a significant survival of prehistoric ritual architecture within its Welsh landscape context. The structure contributes to evidence for ceremonial practices and settlement patterns during the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods. Its preservation enables ongoing archaeological understanding of prehistoric communities and their relationship with their environment.
Pen y Gadair Fawr platform cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR311. View the official record →
Pen y Gadair Fawr is a platform cairn of prehistoric date, located in Wales and protected as an ancient monument by Cadw under reference BR311.
Pen y Gadair Fawr platform cairn dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a platform cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Pen y Gadair Fawr platform cairn 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 BR311.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Darren ring cairn (7.6 km), Cwm Beusych Deserted Rural Settlement (8 km), Crug Hywel Camp (8.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Pen y Gadair Fawr platform cairn'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.
Pen y Gadair Fawr platform cairn stands on Lower Devonian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.