Scheduled Monuments›Wales›Pentre Ifan Chambered Tomb
Prehistoric · Chambered Tomb

Pentre Ifan Chambered Tomb

Pembrokeshire, Wales
Cadw SAM PE008
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Chambered Tomb
Broad class
Religious, Ritual and Funerary
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Pentre Ifan is a Neolithic chambered tomb located in Pembrokeshire, Wales, dating to approximately 3500 BCE and representing one of the finest examples of a megalithic portal dolmen in Britain. The monument comprises a large capstone supported by three upright portal stones forming the entrance to a burial chamber, with evidence of a now-ruined cairn that once enclosed the entire structure. The portal dolmen design, characteristic of south Wales Neolithic funerary architecture, would have served as a communal burial place for multiple individuals over an extended period of use. The site's prominent position on elevated terrain and the sophistication of its construction demonstrate the considerable organisational capabilities and ritual importance of Neolithic communities in prehistoric Wales.

Pentre Ifan Chambered Tomb is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference PE008. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Pentre Ifan Chambered Tomb?

Pentre Ifan is a Neolithic chambered tomb located in Pembrokeshire, Wales, dating to approximately 3500 BCE and representing one of the finest examples of a megalithic portal dolmen in Britain. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference PE008.

What period does Pentre Ifan Chambered Tomb date from?

Pentre Ifan Chambered Tomb dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a chambered tomb. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Pentre Ifan Chambered Tomb?

Pentre Ifan Chambered Tomb 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 PE008.

What other scheduled monuments are near Pentre Ifan Chambered Tomb?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Castell Pen-Gawsai (9 km), Cornel-Bach Standing Stones (9.2 km), Galchen-Fach Stone (9.3 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Pentre Ifan Chambered Tomb

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Pentre Ifan Chambered Tomb's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Castell Pen-Gawsai
Medieval · Earthwork (unclassified)9 km
Cornel-Bach Standing Stones
Prehistoric · Standing Stone9.2 km
Galchen-Fach Stone
Prehistoric · Standing Stone9.3 km
Dyffryn Stone Circle
Prehistoric · Stone Circle9.5 km
Inscribed Stones outside Ruined Church of St Teilo (now in Maenclochog Church).
Early Medieval · Cross-marked stone9.8 km
Temple Druid Standing Stone
Prehistoric · Standing Stone9.9 km
Standing Stone near Prysg Farm
Prehistoric · Standing Stone9.9 km
Standing Stone S of Prysg Farm
Prehistoric · Standing Stone10 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Pentre Ifan Chambered Tomb

Pentre Ifan Chambered Tomb stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Ordovician, bedrock that formed in the Ordovician. The rock here is felsic tuff.

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