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Pen y lan Roman Site is a Roman settlement in Wales, protected by Cadw under reference GM296. The monument occupies ground underlain by Wenlock Rocks, a bedrock of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone laid down in the Wenlock period. These sedimentary strata would have provided both building stone and clay suitable for Roman construction techniques, shaping the settlement's physical footprint and material culture.
Roman settlements in Wales served diverse functions within the province's military and civilian infrastructure, ranging from auxiliary forts to vici—unfortified townships that grew around military installations. The site's location reflects Roman strategic priorities, whether controlling local populations, exploiting natural resources, or maintaining communication networks across difficult terrain.
Today, Pen y lan remains an archaeological record of Romano-British life, its preservation under Cadw's guardianship safeguarding evidence of settlement layout, domestic activity and material culture from this transformative period in Welsh history. The underlying geology continues to inform understanding of how Roman builders adapted to and worked with the local landscape.
Pen y lan Roman Site is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM296. View the official record →
Pen y lan Roman Site is a Roman settlement in Wales, protected by Cadw under reference GM296.
Pen y lan Roman Site dates from the roman period, and is classified as a settlement. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Pen y lan Roman Site 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 GM296.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including The Wreck of the "Louisa" (5 km), Leckwith Bridge (5.2 km), Queen Alexandra Dock Harbour Defence Gun Emplacement (5.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Pen y lan Roman Site'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 lan Roman Site stands on Wenlock Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.