Castell Henllys (Welsh, 'castle of the old court') is an important archaeological site in north Pembrokeshire. The Iron Age hillfort has been the subject of an ongoing excavation for more than twenty years, accompanied by an exercise in reconstruction archaeology whereby experiments in prehistoric farming have been practised. Four roundhouses and a granary have been reconstructed on their original Iron Age foundations, some 2,000 years old, the only site in Britain where this has been done.

To the north of the site, where the entrance was, there are significant earthworks in the shape of several ditches and banks. Inside these fortifications, archaeologists have found evidence for numerous Iron Age roundhouses dating to between 500 and 100BC. Adjacent to the fort they discovered a farmstead settlement, which is believed to have been occupied throughout the Romano- British period.

During the summer the site provides training for young archaeologists and is a popular visitor attraction. It is owned by Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.

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Founded: 500-100 BCE
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in United Kingdom

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

jake morag (5 months ago)
Lovely experience well worth a visit. Includes a very nice cafe, friendly and informative staff, and a beautifully reconstructed iron age village and hill fort. As we visited around Christmas, there we're no activities for children, but we still had a great day out.
Chris Owen (8 months ago)
Our two kids (11 and 13) LOVED the Iron Age Village (and so did we). It's mostly outdoors, and we benefited from a sunny day, so if it's cold or wet, dress appropriately for the iron age. It really felt like a step back to a different age, with displays, activities, explanations, and interesting information. The staff were passionate, informed, interesting, talented, and engaged the children and adults at every step. The cost of tickets also felt very inexpensive for everything we were able to do there. Thank you Castell Henllys Iron Age Village, one of the highlights of our year, and our girls have been talking about going back again for the last month!
Vintage Chic Freak (8 months ago)
Was a last minute decision to visit as I found it on a local Google search the night before while on holiday. I took my 15 and 16 year old daughters and we all loved it. The village was wonderful and really quite surprising just from the sheer size of the huts. The villagers were extremely knowledgeable, and clearly passionate about what they do. They were happy to answer any questions visitors may have had. The only drawback was that we didn't have time to see everything. We watched and joined in with the weaponry demonstration given by a wonderfully captivating man, and watched another demonstration by an older very interesting gentleman on the use of fire and the methods used to create it. We did miss the bread making, crafting demo's and joining of the tribe though due to time restraints as our session was 10am-1pm. However the entry fee was very reasonable so if we are ever in the area again we would happily visit again to see what we missed. There was some cool stuff in the gift shop and the cafe food was great although it was a bit of a wait for food to arrive but they were very busy to be fair. Would absolutely recommend if you have a few hours to spare, go check it out.
Amelia Kilvington (9 months ago)
Imaginative, educational and entertaining. Brilliant value for money with a family ticket well under £20 and a fabulous cafe on site. We loved our visit and it is well worth booking a free tour, they happen twice across each day. Be prepared to leave with your head full of Iron Age tales and smelling of well seasoned wood smoke.
Jean Turnbull (12 months ago)
Very interesting archaeological site brought to life. The guide knew all about the excavations and rebuilding and she was fascinating to listen to. I was able to access the site using their mobility scooter. Dog friendly too. Cafe also had outdoor seating. Suitable for all ages.
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