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Trefecca Fawr Garden Earthworks is a medieval fishpond located in Wales, protected by Cadw as a scheduled monument under reference BR087. The site occupies land underlain by Pridoli rocks of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone, geology that would have provided natural water retention properties essential for the construction and maintenance of such a feature. Medieval fishponds were integral to rural estate management, providing a reliable source of protein through controlled breeding of carp, pike and other freshwater species. This example represents the practical application of monastic and manorial agricultural innovation during the medieval period, when the construction of ponds became a mark of land management expertise and social status.
The earthworks visible today preserve evidence of the pond's original form and the systems used to regulate water flow. The Pridoli bedrock beneath the site, composed of relatively impermeable sedimentary rocks, would have been advantageous for holding water without excessive seepage. Such monuments are characteristic of medieval Welsh estates where water management and aquaculture played a significant role in sustaining both monastic communities and secular landholders. The survival of these earthworks provides archaeological insight into medieval subsistence strategies and land use patterns across Wales.
Trefecca Fawr Garden Earthworks is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR087. View the official record →
Trefecca Fawr Garden Earthworks is a medieval fishpond located in Wales, protected by Cadw as a scheduled monument under reference BR087.
Trefecca Fawr Garden Earthworks dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a fishpond. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Trefecca Fawr Garden Earthworks 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 BR087.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cefn Moel Round Barrows (8.2 km), Ffynnon Las Round Cairn I (8.4 km), Gileston Standing Stone (8.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Trefecca Fawr Garden Earthworks'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.
Trefecca Fawr Garden Earthworks stands on Pridoli Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Pridoli. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.