Chris Andrews takes us on a journey through the thousands of years of history of Caerau Hillfort, from childhood memories to groundbreaking archaeological finds dating back to 600BC.
Back in the 1980s a walk up to St Mary’s Church, overlooking the Cardiff suburb of Caerau, always felt like a treat. As with a lot of families in the area and indeed Wales, there wasn’t a lot of extra money to spend on days out back then. But that journey through the wooded area, just a stone’s throw north of the A4232 and up to Caerau Hillfort, the ruins of the 13th-century church, was a magical experience. It was like being transported back in time for an hour or so and was the source of fascination for many a local family.
The various hills and troughs that offered outstanding views of a still-developing city were brilliant fun to run up and down as a child – but the church itself, which had seen its last service in 1973, had since fallen foul of vandalism. This didn’t deter local history buffs, and whilst it was commonly known that the Romans once made camp on the very same fields we were traipsing across, it wasn’t until Tony Robinson and Time Team took an interest in the site in 2011, teaming up with the newly-formed CAER Heritage Team, that things became really interesting.
Engaging the locals in public digs and events, this new collaboration went to work excavating the site, revealing that these hallowed fields in fact predated the Romans – going as far back as 600BC. Evidence such as jewellery, tools and weapons, as well as evidence of several homesteads including roundhouses, enabled the team to map out the area in more detail, revealing that all this time we’d actually been standing in the third largest Iron Age hillfort in Glamorgan. Further digs have found evidence that adds an extra 3000 years to the site – taking it back to the Neolithic period.
Whilst the area’s naturally steep slopes and hollowed-out entrances had always allowed locals to hypothesise over the years, having this important part of Welsh history right on its doorstep has done wonders for an area which has seen its fair share of bad press over the years. What was Ely and Caerau’s secret part of the world was now a glimpse into the history of Wales itself.
There have been several excavations, digs and geophysical work to further uncover the fascinating history of this site, while in 2021 CAER Heritage opened a visitor centre at the bottom of the hills, allowing further engagement with visitors, schools and anybody else with an interest in local history. But unlike the Silures or the Romans – or, for that matter, the locals of four or more decades ago – you don’t have to battle your way up the steep slopes to visit the site, as a purpose-built path has been put in place.
At 13 acres in size, you aren’t going to need a full day to discover this fascinating place, but if you are looking for a few hours out of the house to indulge yourself in an important part of Welsh history, then a trip to the CAER Heritage centre is a must. Engage with the team, who are a fountain of knowledge, then take the trek up to the site to see for yourself. Aside from the traffic on the A4232, it really is like stepping back in time.
Info: caerheritage.org
words CHRIS ANDREWS
