Capel Garmon Chambered Tomb

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument.

The monument consists of the remains of a chambered long cairn dating to the Neolithic period. Overlooking the Conwy Valley, the long cairn would have originally been covered by a wedge-shaped cairn of stones measuring 28.6m in length. The narrower western end was 8.2m and widened to 12.8m on the eastern side. The perimeter of the cairn was defined by a drystone wall of thin slabs which are now covered by turf, although its line is marked out by small stones set in the turf for the purpose. At the broader eastern end, the cairn wall turns inwards creating two horns which partially enclose a forecourt area. An entrance passage on the southern side of the cairn leads to a burial chamber which gives access to a second and third chamber situated east and west of the central chamber, both chambers are almost circular. Only the western chamber retains its capstone.

Unfortunately, the burial chambers at Capel Garmon had already been much disturbed before the archaeological excavations of 1924. A fragment of Neolithic pottery was found in the passage and there were also several fragments of Beaker potter which dates from the Early Bronze Age. A few fragments of human bone also were recovered. Interestingly, a number of quartz stones were found around the cairn, in particular in the forecourt area. The significance of this is unknown, but it may have played a role in the rituals that were conducted at the cairn.

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. Chambered long cairns may be 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.