MG030

Llanymynech Hill Camp  

 

Designated  

Powys  

Carreghofa  

326487  

322087  

Defence  

Hillfort  

Prehistoric  

The monument comprises the remains of a hillfort. Llanymynech is the largest hillfort in Wales, its tree, scrub and grass-covered ramparts enclosing the entire isolated limestone plateau of Llanymynech Hill, an area of around 70 ha. The hill itself has been exploited for its mineral wealth since at least the Roman period, the uneven topography of the hilltop having been complicated by the cuttings, spoil tips and tramways associated with later mining and quarrying possibly spanning much of the last two millennia. Where they have survived later quarrying to the E and N the defences comprised a triple line of ditches and ramparts but seem to have been simpler over the steeper slopes to the W where a single large bank was adapted to form a stretch of the early medieval boundary monument Offa’s Dyke. The NE ramparts and a probable surviving entrance are scheduled separately in England. Llanymynech Golf course was established in the 1950s and occupies much of the interior. This has resulted in further landscaping, although existing features appear to have been utilised where possible. Nevertheless, this massive monument is difficult to interpret due to a lack of systematic recording; areas of apparently medieval field systems, post medieval cottage ruins and boundary walls are interspersed with a variety of possible natural features, platforms, scarps, hollows and mounds which are almost impossible to assign a function or date without excavation. This is borne out by piecemeal archaeological interventions which have produced a range of features and finds across the site, including a roundhouse, burial and evidence for the construction of the defences and Bronze Age industrial activity, when water mains were cut through the eastern ramparts in 1981. The scheduled area encompasses both the Iron Age defences and a number of post medieval industrial workings at the base of the hill to the S and E. 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.