Places remain to take part in Abbey Cwmhir Heritage Trust’s excavation of an important settlement site within the home grange of the Cistercian Cwmhir Abbey in the beautiful hills of north Radnorshire. Abbey Cwmhir is celebrated as the burial place of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, the last welsh born Prince of Wales, in 1282. This presents a wonderful opportunity to experience an archaeological dig first hand.
The house platform at Cwmffwrn offers a rare opportunity to investigate the origins of a long abandoned upland settlement, working with a small team of dedicated participants, led by professional archaeologist Jenny Hall and Paul Sambrook of Trysor Archaeology https://trysor.net . Jenny and Paul are passionate about exploring the archaeology of upland Wales and are recognised experts in this field.
The purpose of the excavation is to try to explain the origin and purpose of the settlement. Was it an upland farm on the monastic grange, or did it appear at a later date, when settlement spread on to the uplands in later centuries?
This year’s excavation will build on the work of 2023 & 2024, which have already shown that there was activity at Cwmffwrn in the late 16th century or early 17th centuries. Can we push this date back further in 2025, and find evidence of medieval activity, which would link the settlement firmly with the monastic grange.
Our dig has been designed to lead a small number of individuals through the excavation process in a way that is not always possible on large sites. Although our upland landscape has suggestions of house platforms of the type we are excavating, it is very unusual for them to be examined by a dig and therefore you would have the chance to be involved in important evolving research.
A description of our upland landscape work is given on our website at https://abbeycwmhir.org/discussion/upland-landscape-research-cwmffwrn-farm/ where you can find a video of last years excavation, a link to a talk by Trysor and lots of photographs and background reports.
You can take part in the 2025 excavation in a number of ways.
Book an Excavation Experience Day on July 12th or 13th. For £75 you will spend a full day on site (10am to 4pm) working alongside professional archaeologists and volunteers, helping to uncover more of the archaeology site. This hands-on experience will give you a great insight into the site and you also have the option of joining a free guided-tour of Abbey Cwmhir itself at the end of the day. Teas/coffees provided but bring your own lunch.
Book here for Saturday 12th July:
Book here for Sunday 13th July:
Book an Excavation Trainee Week to spend 6 days working closely with professional archaeologists on site. For £450 you will receive a week’s training in excavation and recording techniques plus a tour of Abbey Cwmhir remains and village. You are also welcome to stay on to Sunday 20th July as part of this experience, at no additional cost. Only 4 trainee slots are available, therefore you are guaranteed to be at the heart of activity on site and to be guided and mentored by a professional archaeologist throughout. The week extends from Monday 14th July to Saturday 19th July. You will need to find your own accommodation and food is not provided although tea/coffee will be during the day(s).
It will be possible to purchase the BAJR (British Archaeological Jobs and Resources) archaeological skills passport for this event. It will act as a record of practical training during this week and is recognised as a stepping stone into professional archaeology. It costs £8.50 and can be purchased when you book as a participant.
Book here to join us for our 6 day Trainee Week:
Book a self-drive tour of the Abbey remains and village followed by a site visit to the excavation on Saturday 19th July or Sunday 20th July with a minimum donation of £1 to help fund costs. Please bring a packed lunch although tea and coffee will be provided.
Book here for Saturday 19th July
Book here for Sunday 20th July
For any of these events, under 18s and vulnerable adults should be accompanied.
If you should have any questions about these events and how to join us, please contact Jackie at cwmhirabbey@gmail.com.
We hope that you will be able to join us.
This event is sponsored by OCU Group.
OCU Group provides end-to-end infrastructure engineering in the utilities, digital, and energy markets, specialising in safely and efficiently delivering complex client requirements. Our breadth of capabilities and depth of operational capacity, paired with our cutting-edge technology, ensure that we are not just part of the market; we are leading it. We work in a wide range of sectors from Power and Energy Transition, through to the Water and Telecoms industries. We operate above and below ground in infrastructure and non-infrastructure environments. OCU Group is at the forefront of ensuring the critical services that we all rely on are ready for the UK’s renewable energy powered future.
At OCU Group we support a range of causes and events across the UK as part of our commitment to positively impacting the communities we serve. With operations, offices, and depots across Wales we are pleased to support the Cwmffwrn Excavation 2025 as it works to uncover and explain the origins of the settlement.