Nant Tarw Stone Circles

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the monument.

The monument comprises the remains of two stone circles and a cairn, which probably date to the Bronze Age (c. 2300 - 800 BC). The three monuments are located in open moorland, at around 400m AOD, close to the headwaters of the river Usk. The eastern-most circle comprises 14 stones and is 21m in diameter. The stones are mostly upright and range in height from slightly protruding above the ground to 0.7m high. The highest stone is on the W side, while the largest stone is on the E side and measures 1m square and leans inwards towards the centre of the circle. There is a fallen stone on the SW side. The western circle is located 110m to the west and comprises an arrangement of 16 stones, 20m in diameter. The stones range in height from just protruding above the ground to 0.8m high. The two tallest stones are located on the S side of the circle. A large recumbent stone lies to the S of the circle. Around 100m to the E of the eastern circle is a stone round cairn. The cairn comprises an amorphous spread of stones around 18m in diameter and 0.3m high.

The monuments are of national importance for their potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric burial and ritual practices. The features are an important relic of a prehistoric funerary and ritual landscape and retain significant archaeological potential. There is a strong probability of the presence of both intact ritual and burial deposits, together with environmental and structural evidence. Stone circles and cairns are often part of a larger cluster of monuments and their importance can further enhanced by their group value.

The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.