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Sand Hill ring cairn is a prehistoric ring cairn located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference BR332. The monument sits upon bedrock comprising Dinantian rocks, a geological formation dating to the Mississippian period, which consist primarily of limestone interspersed with subordinate sandstone and argillaceous deposits. This limestone bedrock would have significantly influenced both the construction of the cairn and the availability of stone for its building.
Ring cairns are circular monuments composed of stone, typically dating to the Bronze Age. They were constructed by gathering and arranging stones in a distinctive annular pattern, with an open or partially filled central area. Such monuments served ceremonial or funerary purposes within prehistoric communities, and their presence across the Welsh landscape reflects the ritual practices and social organisation of Bronze Age societies.
Sand Hill's construction upon the Dinantian limestone bedrock is characteristic of many Welsh prehistoric monuments, where local geology dictated the materials available to builders. The underlying stone formations would have been easily quarried or collected from surface deposits, providing the rubble necessary for the cairn's construction. This monument contributes to our understanding of Bronze Age ceremonial practice and settlement patterns within Wales.
Sand Hill ring cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR332. View the official record →
Sand Hill ring cairn is a prehistoric ring cairn located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference BR332.
Sand Hill ring cairn 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.
Sand Hill ring 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 BR332.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Pillow Mounds at Pant Mawr (2.6 km), Dyffryn Nedd (3.3 km), Carn yr Arian Cairn (5.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Sand Hill ring 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.
Sand Hill ring cairn stands on Dinantian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Mississippian. The rock here is limestone with subordinate sandstone and argillaceous rocks.