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Pen-y-Gaer Camp is a prehistoric hillfort situated in Wales and protected as a scheduled monument under Cadw reference MG155. The site occupies bedrock formed from Wenlock Rocks, a formation of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone dating to the Wenlock period. This varied geology would have provided the inhabitants with ready access to stone for defensive structures and domestic building materials.
Hillforts of this type typically date from the Iron Age, though some may have been occupied or reoccupied over longer periods. They represent a significant investment in communal labour, with ramparts and ditches engineered to exploit the natural topography and bedrock strength of their chosen locations. The elevation and geological character of Pen-y-Gaer Camp would have afforded commanding views across the surrounding landscape whilst the underlying sandstone and siltstone offered practical advantages for construction.
Today the monument survives as an archaeological record of prehistoric settlement and territorial organisation. The site's protection under Cadw recognises its importance as evidence of Iron Age society and land use in Wales. The physical remains continue to provide opportunities for understanding how communities adapted to and utilised the local geology and environment.
Pen-y-Gaer Camp is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference MG155. View the official record →
Pen-y-Gaer Camp is a prehistoric hillfort situated in Wales and protected as a scheduled monument under Cadw reference MG155.
Pen-y-Gaer Camp dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a hillfort. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Pen-y-Gaer 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 MG155.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Tomen Madoc Castle Mound (6.8 km), Great Cloddiau Camp (7 km), Camp SW of Great Cloddiau Farm (revealed by aerial photography) (7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Pen-y-Gaer Camp'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-Gaer Camp stands on Wenlock Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.