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Small Fort Near Nantlle is a prehistoric hillfort situated in Wales on bedrock of Upper Cambrian age, where Tremadoc mudstone, siltstone and sandstone form the underlying geology. The monument is protected by Cadw, the Welsh heritage organisation responsible for ancient monuments, under reference CN178.
Hillforts of this type were characteristic defensive settlements of the Iron Age, though some may have origins in the Bronze Age. They typically occupied naturally elevated positions to command views across surrounding landscape and provide protection from attack. The Tremadoc geology underlying this site would have presented a challenging substrate for the construction of ramparts and ditches that typically define these monuments.
The fort's location in the Nantlle area places it within a landscape rich in prehistoric settlement activity. Such hillforts served as centres of territorial control, storage and communal gathering, with their prominence in the archaeological record reflecting their importance in Iron Age societies. The monument remains a significant record of Welsh prehistoric settlement patterns and defensive strategies across this geologically distinctive region.
Small Fort Near Nantlle is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CN178. View the official record →
Small Fort Near Nantlle is a prehistoric hillfort situated in Wales on bedrock of Upper Cambrian age, where Tremadoc mudstone, siltstone and sandstone form the underlying geology. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference CN178.
Small Fort Near Nantlle dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a hillfort. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Small Fort Near Nantlle 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 CN178.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Treforys Deserted Quarry Settlement (8.9 km), Cae-Bach Hut Circle Settlement (9 km), Hut Circles at Braich y Cornel (9.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Small Fort Near Nantlle'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.
Small Fort Near Nantlle stands on Upper Cambrian, Including Tremadoc, bedrock that formed in the Tremadocian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.