thesweetcheat

Do these half-buried slabs represent the remains of Archenfield chambered tomb?

General view of the monument from the northeast.

One of the half-buried circle stones, looking towards another, Twmpa beyond that.

Mature trees crown the mound.

The western aspect of the barrow.

The splendiferous view of the Brecon Beacons from Coed-y-Polyn round barrow. Surely the siting of the monument had this aspect in mind?

The least “round” aspect, the southern flank from the east. Note sandstone slabs on the mound.

General view of the barrow from its southern end.

According to the plan in George Nash’s “Architecture of Death”, this stone would have been the southern edge of a northern chamber in the barrow.

The northern section of the barrow, showing plentiful scattered stonework (and substantial hazel/May-tree).

The fairly well-preserved southern chamber.

General view of the much-reduced barrow from the ESE. This was certainly a “long” barrow, stretching from one side of the picture to the other (and possibly beyond, as the northern extent is difficult to establish now).

General view of Ffostyll North from the SSE.

Ffostyll North.

Eastern chamber, Ffostyll North, with its gnarled hazel guardian.

Central chamber remnants, Ffostyll North.

Ffostyll South’s chamber.

General view of Ffostyll South from the northeast.

Looking eastwards across Ffostyll South to the prominent Black Mountains summit of Twmpa.

Ffostyll South, looking north.

Wooded Talgarth Camp seen from Penyrwyrlodd long cairn to the south.

General view of this fine monument from the SW. The wooded hill on the right is Talgarth Camp hillfort.

Enormous, if rather overgrown, slab on the top of the mound, south of exposed chambers.

Apart from the main chambers, there is further stonework at the northern end of the mound.

Viewed from the NW end, the impressive mound appears intact.

Elevated view of the exposed interior. Looking SE towards Mynydd Troed (right) with the Black Mountains ridges on the far left.

Looking northwest across the exposed interior of the long cairn.

Pen-y-Gaer from the northwest.

Pen-y-Gaer from Crofty.

The “other” stone/cross/whipping post. The Loughor estuary can be seen beyond.

The rather incongruous domestic setting (the house opposite is for sale if anyone would like a room with a stonehead view).

The standing stone was re-erected in the 1840s by the vicar.

The “proper” standing stone in the foreground, the later addition to the left.

The fort from the edge of extensive marshland to the north.

Highlighting the powerful ramparts encircling the hilltop.

Landscape context for this large fort (far right of picture). Seen from the west near Leason, looking along the North Gower coast with the Loughor estuary to the left.

The northern approaches are protected by an upended plane of rock.

The rocky outcrop of North Hill Tor, seen from the west on a grey day. The fort/enclosure occupies the saddle behind (to the right of) the outcrop.

A lost treasure revealed from the undergrowth, the barrow now suffers under bike wheels.

The east end of the barrow, once a horned forecourt but now rather shapeless.

From the southeast.

Every silver lining appears to have a cloud. Cleared of vegetation, the barrow has now become an exciting obstacle for mountain bikers.

The western end of the barrow.

View from the northeast.

First sight of the now-cleared barrow through the trees.

The lower (southern) section of dyke.