Cerrig Duon Stone Circle

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the monument.

The monument comprises the remains of a stone circle and a standing stone, which probably date to the Bronze Age (c. 2300 - 800 BC). The monuments are located on a plateau above a waterfall on the River Tawe, at 380m AOD. The stone circle is roughly 18m in diameter and comprises 20 stones, one of which one has fallen and another is largely buried below ground. The remainder are a maximum height of 0.6m above ground level. The stones are all rough slabs of pennant sandstone and are fairly evenly spaced around the circumference of the circle, although there are clear gaps where stones are missing. Maen Mawr standing stone is located 10m N of the circle. It is 1.9m in height and orientated N/S, and is packed into its socket using small stones. Around 3m to the N of the standing stone are two small upright stones which mark the start of an avenue of small standing stones.

The monument is of national importance for its 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 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.