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Summerhouse Camp is a prehistoric hillfort situated in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference GM032. The monument occupies land underlain by Mesozoic sedimentary rocks formed during the Late Triassic period, geological foundations that have shaped the character of this landscape for over 200 million years. Like other hillforts of Iron Age Wales, Summerhouse Camp would have served as a defended settlement and focal point for the surrounding community, its position commanding views across the surrounding terrain.
The earthwork defences typical of such monuments—comprising banks and ditches—exploit the natural topography of the site to create an imposing stronghold. The underlying bedrock of sedimentary material would have influenced both the construction techniques employed and the drainage characteristics of the enclosed area, practical considerations that prehistoric builders understood intimately from generations of experience working with local geology.
Today Summerhouse Camp remains a significant archaeological monument, its survival enabling study of prehistoric settlement patterns and defensive architecture in Wales. The site's statutory protection recognises its importance as evidence of Iron Age social organisation and the enduring significance of hillforts within the Welsh landscape and cultural heritage.
Summerhouse Camp is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM032. View the official record →
Summerhouse Camp is a prehistoric hillfort situated in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference GM032.
Summerhouse Camp dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a hillfort. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Summerhouse Camp 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 GM032.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including West Orchard Manor House (2.1 km), Boverton Place (2.2 km), Limpert Bay Anti-invasion Defences (2.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Summerhouse Camp'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.
Summerhouse Camp stands on Mesozoic sedimentary rocks, bedrock that formed in the Late Triassic. The rock here is sedimentary rocks.