Remains of Blaenau Stone Circle

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the scheduled monument.

The monument comprises the remains of a stone circle, which probably date to the Bronze Age (c. 2300 - 800 BC). The site comprises 13 stones, either upstanding or almost completely buried in the ground. The upright stones consist of two slabs orientated E/W parallel to each other 1.8m apart. The southern upright is 1.5m high, 1.1m wide and 0.2m thick, the northern upright is of similar dimensions but largely buried. To the W are three horizontal slabs with their upper surfaces at ground level. To the N of the of the parallel slabs are three largely buried stones, the northern two of which are on edge. To the S of the parallel slabs the line of stones continues, curving towards the SW, where there are 6 largely buried stones. The site has wrongly been described as the remains of a burial chamber in the past.

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.