CN307

Hafod-y-Wern Long Hut  

26/07/1999  

Designated  

Gwynedd  

Betws Garmon  

252671  

357254  

Unassigned  

Rectangular hut  

Medieval  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Monument. The monument comprises the remains of a well-preserved example of a substantially constructed rectangular hut of the medieval or early post-medieval period. It survives in the form of stone foundation walls set upon an artificial platform running at ninety degrees to the natural slope of the ground. The long hut has overall dimensions of 10m by 6m and the well-built walls are on average 1m high and up to 1.5m wide. The walls have been faced internally with large orthostats (upright stones), which are mostly still in situ. There are two entrances, set opposite each other, about two thirds of the way along the long walls. This identifies the structure as having had a cross-passage and probably two ground floor rooms, one on either side of the cross-passage. Since there are no visible indications of an internal sub-division, this must have been constructed from perishable materials as would the rest of the superstructure. The substantial scale of the lower walls of the house suggests that it could have been a well-built structure, possibly of unusual quality for the area. Upslope of the house, to the west, a long line of large boulders can be seen marking a field boundary and there are further small irregularly shaped enclosures to the north, some of which have been later incorporated into the field wall surrounding the forest. Together these suggest a field system associated with the long hut. The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of medieval settlement. It forms an important element within the wider medieval context and the scheduled area may be expected to contain a wide range of archaeological information, including chronological detail and evidence regarding construction techniques and agricultural methods. There is the potential for further structural survival and preserved internal floors. The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.