MM084

Tredegar Fort  

 

Designated  

Newport  

Gaer  

328927  

186818  

Defence  

Hillfort  

Prehistoric  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument. The monument comprises the remains of a multivallate hillfort, which probably dates to the Iron Age period (c. 800 BC - AD 74, the Roman conquest of Wales). The hillfort occupies a commanding position on a hilltop on the western edge of Newport. It is roughly circular in plan, measuring around 300m in diameter, and consists of a series of concentric banks and ditches. On the NE side the inner bank is 1m high on the inside and 2.5m high on the outside, with a small ditch 3m wide and 1m deep immediately outside it. Outside this is a wide flat area and then the outer bank which is up to 2.5m high on the inside (highest in the centre of this side) and 4m high on the outside where there is a ditch 3m - 4m wide and 2m - 2.5m deep. The sides of the bank and ditch are very steep. There is a gap in the outer bank 2m wide, with a low causeway opposite it across the ditch. Further NW there is a wide causeway across the inner ditch. At the N end of the NE side the defences turn sharply towards the SW. The inner bank becomes a scarp 3m high with a ditch 3m wide and 0.8m deep outside it. Towards the W end there is a 2m wide gap in the inner scarp, with causeways across both ditches. At the S end of this side the defences begin to curve round to the S. The inner scarp is 4m high here, the ditch outside it 3m wide and 0.8m deep. The bank outside it is 1.5m high, below which the ground slopes down to another scarp 3m high, with an outer bank 2m high on the outside. On the SW side this outer bank splits away from the scarp above it and becomes an outer third line of defence. It becomes more massive, 2m - 3m high, and has a 3m wide gap in it, without corresponding gaps in the banks inside it. The inner scarp is 3m high on this side with a steep sided ditch 2m high outside it. Outside this the former outer scarp continues as a bank 1m high on the inside with a ditch outside it 2m deep. In the middle of this side the two inner ditches have causeways across them, 4m wide, with corresponding gaps in the banks. E of this the middle bank peters out and the ditch becomes shallower. There is a wide gap in the outer ditch, and it then continues towards the E, finally petering out. This bank continues, also lower, and then peters out. The inner scarp is lower E of the causeway. It is 2.3m high and the ditch is 1.5m deep, becoming negligible towards the E. On the SE side the ground slopes gently towards the SE. The inner scarp is 2.5m high. Outside it is level ground and then, at the southernmost end, is an outer bank with an internal height of 1m and an external height of 2.5m. Further N the outer bank becomes a scarp and has a ditch outside it 3m - 4m wide and 1m deep. Outside this is an area of confused hollows. Near the N end of this side the outer scarp becomes a bank again, and begins to heighten and the ditch outside it starts. The interior of the hillfort is flat, covered with grass and a few trees. At the west end the level is lower and remains of parts of a golf course are visible (a tee and a bunker). The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of later prehistoric defensive organisation and settlement. The site forms an important element within the wider later prehistoric context and within the surrounding landscape. The site is well preserved and retains considerable archaeological potential. There is a strong probability of the presence of evidence relating to chronology, building techniques and functional detail. The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.