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Penmaenmawr Stone Circle is a prehistoric stone circle situated in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference CN024. The monument comprises a ring of standing stones typical of Bronze Age ceremonial or ritual sites, reflecting the monumental building tradition of prehistoric Britain and Ireland. Its setting on bedrock of Llanvirn mudstone, siltstone and sandstone—strata laid down during the Ordovician period—places it within a landscape shaped by ancient geological forces.
The circle occupies terrain underlain by the Whiterock Formation, the weathered and fractured surface of which would have been familiar to the people who selected this location for their monument. The choice of site may reflect both practical and symbolic considerations; the local stone would have been accessible for construction, whilst the elevated position offers views across the surrounding countryside. Such stone circles typically functioned as focal points for community gathering, burial, or ceremonial activity, though their precise purposes remain subject to archaeological interpretation.
The survival of Penmaenmawr Stone Circle as an upstanding monument provides important evidence of prehistoric settlement patterns and ritual practice in Wales. The site contributes to our understanding of Bronze Age material culture and the sophisticated architectural knowledge possessed by prehistoric communities, who engineered durable structures that have endured millennia of weathering on the exposed Welsh landscape.
Penmaenmawr Stone Circle is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CN024. View the official record →
Penmaenmawr Stone Circle is a prehistoric stone circle situated in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference CN024.
Penmaenmawr Stone Circle dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a stone circle. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Penmaenmawr Stone Circle 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 CN024.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Carnedd y Ddelw Cairn (4.3 km), Hut Circles North of Afon Anafon (4.7 km), Pen y Gaer Camp (6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Penmaenmawr Stone Circle'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.
Penmaenmawr Stone Circle stands on Llanvirn Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Whiterock. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.