![Hut circle, Holyhead Mountain](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Hut_circle%2C_Holyhead_Mountain._-_geograph.org.uk_-_1149808.jpg)
The Holyhead Mountain Hut Circles, also known as 'Tŷ Mawr Hut Circles', ''Cytiau'r Gwyddelod'' or the 'Irishmen's Huts', are the remains of a group of
Celtic Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...
huts near
Trearddur
Trearddur or Trearddur Bay ( cy, Bae Trearddur) is a village, seaside resort and community south of Holyhead on the west coast of Holy Island off the north-west coast of Anglesey in Wales. The community includes the small settlement of Penrho ...
on
Holy Island, Anglesey
Holy Island ( cy, Ynys Gybi, 'the island of (Saint) Cybi') is an island () on the western side of the larger Isle of Anglesey, Wales, from which it is separated by the Cymyran Strait. It is called "Holy" because of the high concentration of ...
, Wales. The site is under the care of
Cadw and can be visited all year round. The construction of these huts are very similar to those at
Din Lligwy
Din Lligwy (or Din Llugwy) hut circle is an ancient village site near the east coast of Anglesey, close to the village of Moelfre, North Wales.
Excavations in 1905–1907 produced hundreds of Roman-period pot sherds of the 3rd and 4th centuri ...
, having thick stone walls.
Hut group
The hut group is located on a level terrace that traverses the southwestern end of
Holyhead Mountain
Holyhead Mountain (''Mynydd Twr'' in Welsh: from ''(pen)twr'', meaning "tower") is the highest mountain on Holy Island, Anglesey, and the highest in the county of Anglesey, north Wales. It lies about two miles west of the town of Holyhead, and s ...
. The precise age of the hut group is not clear. Much of the site is thought to date from the
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...
but the settlement may have been in existence over an extended period of time from the
Neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several p ...
to the
Dark Ages, with different buildings being in use at different times.
Over fifty buildings were recorded when excavations were undertaken in 1860. The site was examined again between 1978 and 1982. About twenty huts have been reconstructed; each would originally have had a conical roof, supported by poles set on top of a low wall, covered with turf or thatch. Some of the huts are homesteads; these are mostly circular and hearths, alcoves and a stone trough have been identified. Others are oval and have a dividing wall, still others are entered by long passages, and some are small, and may have been used as storerooms or workshops. One building at the northeastern end of the terrace has a walled enclosure or paddock adjoining. Artefacts found at the site include a broken
stone axe, flint
arrowhead
An arrowhead or point is the usually sharpened and hardened tip of an arrow, which contributes a majority of the projectile mass and is responsible for impacting and penetrating a target, as well as to fulfill some special purposes such as sign ...
s and pottery fragments from the late Neolithic or early
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...
. Inside one of the huts, a number of
Roman coins
Roman currency for most of Roman history consisted of gold, silver, bronze, orichalcum and copper coinage. From its introduction to the Republic, during the third century BC, well into Imperial times, Roman currency saw many changes in form, denom ...
were concealed.
[
]
Access
This is one of the best-preserved hut groups in Wales. The settlement is to the southeast of the South Stack Lighthouse
The South Stack Lighthouse is built on the summit of a small island off the north-west coast of Holy Island, Anglesey, Wales. It was built in 1809 to warn ships of the dangerous rocks below.
History
The lighthouse has warned passing ships of t ...
, on the opposite side of the road from a small car park provided by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a charitable organisation registered in England and Wales and in Scotland. It was founded in 1889. It works to promote conservation and protection of birds and the wider environment thr ...
.
The Holyhead Mountain Hut Circles are under the care of Cadw; the site is open to the public, free of charge, throughout the year, except for 24, 25 and 26 December and New Year's Day. Access is by a stone stile over a wall.
Holyhead Hut Group. - geograph.org.uk - 1201216.jpg, Long passage into one of the huts
Cytiau Celtaidd - Celtic Iron Age Huts at Mynydd Twr, Caergybi (Holyhead), Wales 2021 50.jpg, Similar passageway into a rectangular hut
Cytiau Celtaidd - Celtic Iron Age Huts at Mynydd Twr, Caergybi (Holyhead), Wales 2021 05.jpg, One of the highest huts, going up, onwards to Mynydd Twr
Holyhead Mountain Hut Group (500 BC), Holy Island (507284) (32972722812).jpg, Large boulders can be found here and there
Cytiau Celtaidd - Celtic Iron Age Huts at Mynydd Twr, Caergybi (Holyhead), Wales 2021 39.jpg
Cytiau Celtaidd - Celtic Iron Age Huts at Mynydd Twr, Caergybi (Holyhead), Wales 2021 26.jpg, Around six huts can be seen here, in their location c. 300 meters above sea level
Cytiau Celtaidd - Celtic Iron Age Huts at Mynydd Twr, Caergybi (Holyhead), Wales 2021 01.jpg, The walls were at one time much higher
Cytiau Celtaidd - Celtic Iron Age Huts at Mynydd Twr, Caergybi (Holyhead), Wales 2021 23.jpg
See also
* Bryn Eryr - the remains of an Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...
farmstead near Llansadwrn, Anglesey
Llansadwrn (; ; ) is a small village in the community of Cwm Cadnant in south-east Anglesey, in north-west Wales. It lies between Menai Bridge, Pentraeth and Beaumaris. It is named after the church, founded in the 6th century by Saint Saturnin ...
References
{{coord, 53.3054, -4.6838, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title
Prehistoric sites in Anglesey
Scheduled monuments in Anglesey
Iron Age sites in Wales
Trearddur