Castell Olwen

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 hillfort, which probably dates to the Iron Age period (c. 800 BC - AD 74, the Roman conquest of Wales). Hillforts are usually located on hilltops and surrounded by a single or multiple earthworks of massive proportions. Hillforts must have formed symbols of power within the landscape, while their function may have had as much to do with ostentation and display as defence. Castell Olwen occupies an oval bluff on the eastern side of the Afon Dulas. It occupies an area of 0.56 ha with a prominent bank and ditch on its northern side and heightened natural slopes around the remainder. The interior contains two low rises separated by a hollow with the remains of a ditch. This lowland late prehistoric enclosure forms a group with the nearby Castell Allt Goch (CD106) and Castell Goetre (CD107) and is a good and undisturbed example of this type of monument.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of later prehistoric defensive organisation and settlement. The site forms an important element within the wider later prehistoric context and within the surrounding landscape. The site is well preserved and retains considerable archaeological potential. There is a strong probability of the presence of evidence relating to chronology, building techniques and functional detail.

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