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Pontsticill platform cairn is a prehistoric platform cairn located in Wales, built upon bedrock of Dinantian limestone interspersed with sandstone and argillaceous rocks. This geological foundation of alternating stone types would have shaped both the construction process and the appearance of the monument, with locally available limestone likely providing material for the cairn itself. The site sits within the distinctive karst landscape characteristic of the South Wales coalfield's Carboniferous geology.
As a platform cairn, the monument represents a form of burial architecture that typically dates to the Neolithic or Bronze Age, featuring a retained platform of stones topped by an accumulated mound rather than being built as a solid heap from the outset. The careful construction method suggests considerable communal effort and ceremonial significance, with the platform anchoring the cairn to the uneven hillside terrain.
The monument is now protected by Cadw, the Welsh heritage agency, under reference BR362, recognising its archaeological importance as evidence of prehistoric settlement, ritual practice and engineering capability in the Welsh landscape. Its preservation contributes to understanding the development of monumental architecture and burial practices across Bronze Age Britain.
Pontsticill platform cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR362. View the official record →
Pontsticill platform cairn is a prehistoric platform cairn located in Wales, built upon bedrock of Dinantian limestone interspersed with sandstone and argillaceous rocks. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference BR362.
Pontsticill 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.
Pontsticill 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 BR362.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Merthyr Common Round Cairns (8.9 km), Gelligaer Common Roman Road (9.3 km), Platform Houses and Cairn Cemetery on Dinas Noddfa (9.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Pontsticill 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.
Pontsticill platform cairn stands on Dinantian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Mississippian. The rock here is limestone with subordinate sandstone and argillaceous rocks.