Round Barrow 90m NE of Pipton Farm

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Monument.

The monument consists of an earth and stone mound located on low-lying ground to the west of the Afon Llynfi, close to Pipton House and the site of a former chapel. The mound measures 19m in diameter and 1.7m high and was identified by H.N. Savory as a Bronze Age round barrow. A subsequent small-scale excavated revealed the mound to be composed largely of rough building stone with many pieces of flagstone, some of which have been shaped and squared. No structure or foundations were identified during the excavation, but the site was interpreted as the remains of a building, possibly an isolated defensive round tower. Other possibilities have been proposed, including a medieval viewing platform, or, with the adjacent chapel, part of a fortified ecclesiastical site mentioned in the Callander of Close Rolls in 1233, or a small castle. The mound is depicted on the 1st Edition OS maps and so is evidently of some antiquity.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of construction techniques. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of associated archaeological features and deposits.

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