Wellington Monument, Pen Dinas, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales
Posted by: 
Ddraig Ddu
N 52° 24.095 W 004° 04.947
30U E 426357 N 5806255
On top of Iron Age hillfort in a prominent coastal position, overlooking Aberystwyth on one side and the sea on the other. At it top in 1852 was placed the tall lighthouse type monument to the memory of the Duke of Wellington.
Waymark Code: WMAEJC
Location: South Wales, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 01/05/2011
Views: 9
The fort is believed to have been occupied for some 300 years up to and including the 1st century BC, and has strong connection to the nearby village of Llandabarn Fawr
The hill includes twin summits and the defences divide into three systems. Excavations in the 1930s demonstrated at least four phases to the defences.
The northernmost defence is a single bank and ditch of 1.5ha. The southern area is defended by a single bank and ditch on the steeper southern and western sides and on the east by triple defences. Linking the two is a single bank and ditch. The total area enclosed is some 4ha.
You can still see some evidence of ancient occupation today within the southern enclosure, some eight house platforms can still be seen. Most of the buildings were circular, though one D-shaped building was excavated in the 1930s.
The ridged top site is enclosed by a series of banks and ditches.There have been numerous finds on the site and most are now in the hands of the National Museum of Wales. They include a clay pot made in the Malvern Hills and a pale yellow glass bead, possibly made in Somerset, as well as decorated Iron Age pottery, a 4th century Roman coin, spindle whorls and loom weights.
The northern enclosure is farmed privately and is not open to visitors, though it can be viewed from the southern summit. The Wellington Monument, raised in 1852, stands within.
Thanks to Ceredigion Council for the History