The Breiddin

The Breiddin hills rise abruptly out of the Severn plain north-east of Welshpool, visible for a very long way in every direction, and the largest of them carries one of the most important prehistoric sites in the Marches.

The excavation

Chris Musson directed excavations here between 1969 and 1976, and they were rescue work: the hill was being quarried for hard igneous rock, the quarry was advancing into the fort, and the archaeology was being removed a face at a time.

What the excavations established changed the understanding of hillforts in this region. The Breiddin was occupied from the late Bronze Age, several centuries earlier than the Iron Age date most hillforts were then assumed to have, and it was occupied repeatedly rather than continuously, with long gaps and successive rebuildings of the defences.

Inside were roundhouses, four-post structures usually read as raised granaries, metalworking evidence and imported material. The report, published in 1991, is one of the standard references for later prehistory in the Welsh borderland.

The site now

Substantial ramparts survive on the sides the quarry did not reach, enclosing a large area of hilltop, and the position is spectacular.

The quarry is still there and still working. That juxtaposition — a scheduled monument on one side of a hill and an active hard rock quarry on the other — is uncomfortable and instructive, and it is a fair illustration of how a great deal of British archaeology has been recovered: not because anyone chose to investigate it, but because it was about to be destroyed and somebody moved fast.

Rodney's Pillar

On the summit stands a stone column erected in 1782 in honour of Admiral Rodney, following his victory at the Battle of the Saintes.

It is generally said to have been raised by Montgomeryshire landowners in gratitude because oak from the Severn valley was used to build Rodney's ships.

It is a good landmark and a better viewpoint. From the top you can see the Berwyn, the Long Mynd, the Wrekin and a great deal of Shropshire.

Visiting

Access is on foot from Criggion or from the Middletown side, and it is a steep climb on all approaches. There are waymarked routes through the Forestry Commission land on the lower slopes.

Keep well away from the quarry and its boundaries. Take the fencing seriously.

Material from the excavations is held by Amgueddfa Cymru and Powysland Museum in Welshpool.