Rhiwbina Living

outdoors
Penydarren
Built in the late 1st century
AD, Penydarren Roman Fort
served as a crucial defensive
outpost along the Roman road
connecting Cardiff to Brecon.
The fort protected the nearby
ironworks, which played a
vital role in the production of
iron for the Roman Empire.
Excavations at Penydarren have
revealed the remains of stone
buildings, granaries, and a
commanding officer's house. The
fort's strategic location and its
association with the iron industry
highlight its economic and
military importance.
Image: Jaggery
Barry
Situated at the Knap, overlooking the
Bristol Channel, the monument consists
of the remains of a Roman rectangular
courtyard building dating to the 2nd or
3rd centuries AD.
Excavated in 1980-81 by the
Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological
Trust, the interior was found to have
a cobbled floor, on which was a thick
layer of debris containing building
stones and Roman tiles.
Caerwent
Established in about 75–80
AD, Caerwent served as a
settlement of the Silures,
a native tribe who became
Romanised following the
conquest of Britain. The site
was a busy one, complete
with public baths, all
spread out in a typically
well-ordered Roman grid.
Known as Venta Silurium,
this Roman town that was
created for the Silures by the Romans, stretches to 44 acres, much
of it enclosed within 2nd century walls.
Large sections of the Roman town walls are still in place, rising up to
16ft high in places. Excavated houses, forum-basilica and a Romano-
British temple also remain.
At its height, the town would have been home to 3,000 inhabitants and
there is no evidence that there was any military present on the site.
Image: Chris Andrews
Loughor
The Roman Auxiliary Fort was built
around 75 AD to guard the lowest
crossing of the River Loughor.
Its location provided good visibility
across the region and enabled it to
support the Roman naval units that
were operating in the Bristol Channel.
The site wasn't fully recognised as a
Roman garrison fort until as late as
1969.
Its Roman name was Letocetum,
taken from the Celtic name for the
River Loughor. In translation, it read as
'shining water'.
Gelligaer
The fort at Gelligaer occupies a
position on a long broad ridge
between the Taff and Rhymney
valleys. At the time, it would have
commanded an extensive view
of the woodlands that existed
then. It was one of a line of forts
that existed between Brecon and
Cardiff and although no masonry
is visible today, the defences can
still be seen as a broad bank.
The site is listed as a scheduled
ancient monument and was first
excavated in 1894.
Llanwern
Recent excavations at a site in Llanwern
uncovered a Roman complex that
included several stone-founded Roman
buildings, terraced into the hillside.
Many finds were recovered during the
excavation, including Roman pottery,
animal bone, ceramic building material,
tiles, brooches, and coins. A large number
of spring heads were discovered and
a well-made Roman road leads up the
slope from the valley floor to the site.
The buildings appears to date from the
2nd to the 4th centuries AD.
Image: Philip Halling
Image: Jeremy Bolwell
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