Scheduled MonumentsWalesTwyn y Post Cairns
Prehistoric · Platform Cairn

Twyn y Post Cairns

Breconshire, Wales
Cadw SAM BR203
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Platform Cairn
Broad class
Religious, Ritual and Funerary
Nation
Wales
The designation
Reference
Cadw SAM BR203
Authority
Cadw
Designated
1994-03-22
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Twyn y Post Cairns is a prehistoric platform cairn located in Wales and protected by Cadw as monument BR203. The monument was constructed on bedrock composed of Pridoli rocks—an undifferentiated sequence of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone laid down during the Pridoli epoch. This geological foundation provided a stable base for the cairn's construction, typical of how prehistoric builders selected firm ground for such substantial monuments.

Platform cairns represent an important category of Neolithic and Bronze Age funerary and ceremonial architecture. The form comprises a raised stone platform supporting a central cairn, often built to commemorate the dead or mark significant territorial and ritual locations. The specific arrangement and scale of Twyn y Post reflects local stone availability and building traditions of its period.

The monument's survival to the present day, despite weathering and potential historical disturbance, testifies to the substantial construction methods of prehistoric communities. Its protected status under Cadw ensures that this important archaeological resource remains available for future study and helps preserve evidence of early Welsh settlement patterns, burial practices and the landscape's long human history.

Twyn y Post Cairns is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR203. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Twyn y Post Cairns?

Twyn y Post Cairns is a prehistoric platform cairn located in Wales and protected by Cadw as monument BR203. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference BR203.

What period does Twyn y Post Cairns date from?

Twyn y Post Cairns dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a platform cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Twyn y Post Cairns?

Twyn y Post Cairns 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 BR203.

What other scheduled monuments are near Twyn y Post Cairns?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Gaer Fawr (3 km), Castell Madoc Ringwork (3.9 km), Castle Madoc Mound (4 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Twyn y Post Cairns

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Twyn y Post Cairns's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Twyn y Post Cairns

Twyn y Post Cairns stands on Pridoli Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Pridoli. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.