Friar’s Point

Nearest town:
Barry (3km NE)
OS reference:
ST111659
OS sheet:
171
Latitude:
51° 23' 4.67 N
Longitude:
3° 16' 39.6 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Friar’s Point (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

The probable cairn that we hadn’t seen on the previous visits. To the north of the others, this is presumably cairn IV.

Image credit: A. Brookes (9.4.2023)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Apr 14, 2024
Image of Friar’s Point (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

Denuded rim of a likely cairn to the north of the cairns we’d found previously.

Image credit: A. Brookes (9.4.2023)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Apr 14, 2024
Image of Friar’s Point (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

Cairn III, mainly visible due to the arc of stonework exposed on the southwest of the monument.

Image credit: A. Brookes (24.3.2017)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Apr 10, 2017
Image of Friar’s Point (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

Cairn II, showing some stonework amongst the concrete. Barrybados beyond.

Image credit: A. Brookes (24.3.2017)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Apr 10, 2017
Image of Friar’s Point (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

Friar’s Point I cairn, looking across Watch House Bay towards Cold Knap.

Image credit: A. Brookes (24.3.2017)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Apr 10, 2017
Image of Friar’s Point (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

Friar’s Point from Cold Knap Point to the west, showing the exposed diagonal sedimentary nature of the headland.

Image credit: A. Brookes (13.10.2012)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Nov 15, 2012
Image of Friar’s Point (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

Friar’s Point pillow mound (to the north of the cairns on the headland). This is shown on the OS 1/25000 as one of the “cairns”.

Image credit: A. Brookes (13.10.2012)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Nov 14, 2012
Image of Friar’s Point (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

Cairn III’s reduced stonework (foreground) with the wrecked Cairn II beyond.

Image credit: A. Brookes (13.10.2012)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Nov 14, 2012
Image of Friar’s Point (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

Cairn III, showing poorly preserved arc of stones on the western and southern sides. Looking NNE. Cairn I can be seen as a darker green shape in the upper left of the picture, Whitmore Bay over to the right.

Image credit: A. Brookes (13.10.2012)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Nov 14, 2012
Image of Friar’s Point (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

Cairn I, showing apparent excavation scoop. Looking west towards the next headland, Cold Knap Point, which also had a (now destroyed) barrow on it. Beyond that, the coast of South Glamorgan stretches towards Rhoose Point, the most southerly point on the Welsh mainland.

Image credit: A. Brookes (13.10.2012)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Nov 14, 2012
Image of Friar’s Point (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

Friar’s Point Cairn I, looking NW across Watch House Bay.

Image credit: A. Brookes (13.10.2012)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Nov 14, 2012
Image of Friar’s Point (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

Friar’s Point seen across the golden sands of Whitmore Bay. Gavin and Stacey visible bottom right.

Image credit: A. Brookes (13.10.2012)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Nov 13, 2012

Articles

Friar’s Point

C
CARL Feb 9, 2011

Visited 1.2.11
I recently became aware of this site after seeing it mentioned on Megalithic. (Listed at Barry Island Cairns but I think that sounds a bit ‘tacky’)
As it was Dafydd’s birthday and we were treating him to a day at Barry Island it was an ideal opportunity to have a quick look. I have walked out to Friar’s Point many times over the years and have never noticed anything ‘prehistoric’ before – although to be fair I was never looking!
Luckily the weather was very mild for the time of year and the wind was light. Karen stayed in a café with Sophie enjoying a cuppa whilst myself and Dafydd headed across the beach towards Friar’s Point. Although I find the ‘Pleasure Park’ awful, there is no denying the quality of Whitmore Bay beach.
Once you walk past the lifeguard station there is a path which takes you from the beach up to the rocky headland (there is a path which runs behind the lifeguard if you don’t want to get your shoes full of sand!).
The O/S map shows two cairns:
The first I spotted (I think) behind the 2nd single bench you come to overlooking the sea on your left. It was about 10 metres in diameter and 0.3 metres high. I assume this was the cairn as it was in the right spot but the ground is very undulating so it is difficult to be sure 100%. It would be very hard to spot in the summer when the grass is high.
The second cairn is further along the headland, to the right where the path forks. It is smaller, about 5 metres wide and 0.5 metres high and appeared to have had the centre dug into at some point in the past.
The cairns are not much to look at but it is a pleasant walk out to Friar’s Point on a nice day. It only takes about 10 minutes from the beach.

Miscellaneous

Friar’s Point
Cairn(s)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Nov 13, 2012

Coflein indicates that there are/were five cairns here, as well as a pillow mound which appears to be one of the “cairns” marked on the OS 1/25000. North-south descriptions:

Cairn IV (ST11066604)

Nothing that I could see on the ground, Coflein has:

This is one of a group of mounds excavated in the nineteenth century, when it was found to be encircled by a shallow ditch. The only small finds were two pieces chert and several horse teeth.

Cairn I (ST11046603)

A cairn, excavated in the 19thC, now comprises an annular bank measuring 7m in overall diameter, 1.5m internally, with a height of 0.5m. It is eroded on its W side.

Cairn III (ST11066600)

The cairn exists as a kerb of stones, most noticeably on the S and W where the kerb is 0.2m high, enclosing an an area of gravel and small stones measuring 5.9m (N-S) by 4.8m. It is spread on the N side and eroded to a height of 0.1m on the E.

Cairn II (ST11066598)

Described in 1873 as the most southerly of three mounds, it was partly removed to make a platform while the remainder of the stones were subsequently removed to make a flagstaff mound.

Cairn V (ST11096596)

Didn’t see this one either.

A small mound, 3m in diameter, excavated in late 19thC without result.

....................

Pillow mound (marked as “cairn” at ST11036612)

A grassy earthen mound measuring 14m (E-W) by 9.1m and 0.5m high. It is surrounded by a 0.3m deep ditch which is completely eroded on the E; its inward-facing scarp is 2.3m wide on the N & S

Sites within 20km of Friar’s Point

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