Pared Mawr Camp

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Monument.

The site consists of a small prehistoric promontory fort sited at the top of a coastal cliff, with a substantial rock-cut ditch and banks on the landward side. The main bank is still over 4 m high, fading out towards the sea; defence on this side being by the natural, nearly vertical, cliffs. Previous reports mention a wall on this side, which is to be expected, if only for safety, but is now scarcely visible. On the S side an arm of the bank cuts across a natural level area. On the N there is an outer bank and another large hump beyond which may or may not be natural; there is evidence for quarrying nearby so it may be connected with this. Between the inner and outer bank is a fairly level area, somewhat below the level of the fort, which may have been an additional enclosure. On the slope down to this is a scatter of stone, probably all that remains of the original rampart wall on this side.

The interior slopes fairly steeply down to the sea, and although very uneven has no identifiable features except for one large oval hollow towards the SW, which may be the site of a hut circle, and a lower bank running round within the main bank on the SW and NW. The latter may be a walkway, or possibly the remains of a range of small buildings built against the inner rampart.

The entrance, on the W, is narrow, and looks like a modern gap, although there is a partial ramp across the ditch at this point which is unlikely to be modern as the entrance is not wide enough to admit vehicles. There is no other obvious entrance, but it could have been on the S, protected by the cross bank.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric settlement and defence. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of associated archaeological features and deposits. The structures themselves may be expected to contain archaeological information concerning chronology and building techniques.

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