Black Mixen round barrow

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 substantial round barrow, a burial mound probably dating to the Bronze Age (c.2300 BC - 800 BC) and situated in enclosed rough moorland on the Black Mixen ridge on Radnor Forest. The grass and heather-covered barrow is circular on plan and measures about 22m in diameter and up to 1.3m in height. Although the summit of the monument has been disturbed, boasting an Ordnance Survey triangulation pillar, the base of the round barrow appears to be undisturbed.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric burial and ritual practices. The well-preserved monument is an important relic of a prehistoric funerary and ritual landscape and retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of both intact burial or ritual deposits and environmental and structural evidence. The likely association with the extensive Bronze Age barrow cemetery situated to the SE, on Bache Hill and Whimble (Scheduled Ancient Monuments RD189, RD190 and RD191) and the probable platform cairn situated immediately to the NW (Scheduled Ancient Monument RD256), further increases its importance.

The area scheduled comprises the remains described and an area around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive. It is circular and measures 35m in diameter.