Ffridd Faldwyn Camp

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

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

The monument comprises the remains of a hillfort, which probably dates to the Iron Age period (c.800 BC to AD 74, the Roman conquest of Wales). Hillforts are usually located on hilltops and surrounded by a single or multiple earthworks of massive propoprtions. 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.

Ffridd Faldwyn Camp was partially excavated in 1937-8. The excavations determined that the hillfort was constructed in several phases, culminating in an earlier inner enclosure surrounded by a later, larger outer enclosure. The hillfort takes the form of an irregular oval, tapering to the north and south. The outer enclosure consists of a double rampart and ditch with a complex entrance and outworks at the south-west, and a simple entrance in the north.

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 in 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.