Pen y Foel Camp

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

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 Iocated on hilltops and surrounded by a single or multiple earthworks of massive proportions. Hillforts formed symbols of power within the landscape, while their function may have had as much to do with ostentation and display as defence. This monument occupies the summit of Pen y Foel Hill, east of Castle Caereinion, and is part of a concentration of similarly dated hillforts and defended enclosures in the area. Pen y Foel Camp comprises a sub-rectangular, enclosure, defined by a bank and ditch above steep slopes in the north and east. In the west there is a further rampart and ditch about 48m from the inner line. The possible inturned entrance in the west may be partly modern.

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.