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Ring Cairn on Waun Gunllwch is a prehistoric monument consisting of a circular arrangement of stone built upon bedrock of Pridoli age mudstone, siltstone and sandstone. The cairn sits on open moorland where these geological layers, laid down in the ancient seabed, now form the foundation of the upland landscape. Ring cairns of this type typically date to the Bronze Age and functioned as ceremonial or funerary monuments, their circular form marking them as distinct from the larger passage cairns of earlier periods.
The monument comprises stones arranged in a ring formation, its precise dimensions and internal structure characteristic of monuments built to commemorate the dead or mark significant places in the Bronze Age landscape. Its location on Waun Gunllwch places it within a broader tradition of upland monument building across Wales, where such rings served both practical and ritual purposes within prehistoric communities.
The site is protected as a scheduled monument under Cadw, the Welsh Historic Monuments service, under reference BR181. This designation recognises the archaeological significance of ring cairns as evidence of Bronze Age ritual practice and settlement patterns in Wales. The preservation of such monuments contributes to understanding how prehistoric peoples used and valued the high moorland environment.
Ring Cairn on Waun Gunllwch is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR181. View the official record →
Ring Cairn on Waun Gunllwch is a prehistoric monument consisting of a circular arrangement of stone built upon bedrock of Pridoli age mudstone, siltstone and sandstone. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference BR181.
Ring Cairn on Waun Gunllwch dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a ring cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Ring Cairn on Waun Gunllwch 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 BR181.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Twyn-y-Gaer (5.9 km), Moated Site E of Pont-y-Bat Wood (8.3 km), Moated Site 800m NE of Felinfach (8.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Ring Cairn on Waun Gunllwch'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.
Ring Cairn on Waun Gunllwch stands on Pridoli Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Pridoli. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.