Holyhead Mountain Prehistoric Village

Holyhead Mountain Prehistoric Village stands on a level terrace near the southwestern end of Holyhead Mountain on Anglesey’s Holy Island. The remains belong to a Celtic Iron Age settlement, with thick stone walls similar to those at Din Lligwy. The site is cared for by Cadw and can be visited at any time of year. Excavations in the 19th century by William Owen Stanley revealed fifty buildings, twenty of which survive today. Radiocarbon dating shows the village dates from around 1,000 BC, earlier than once thought. The huts vary in shape and use. Some are circular homes with hearths and stone troughs, others are oval with dividing walls. A few have long entrance passages, while smaller buildings may have served as storerooms or workshops. One hut at the terrace’s northeastern end has a walled paddock beside it. Artefacts found include a broken stone axe, flint arrowheads, and pottery from the late Neolithic or early Bronze Age. Visitors reach the site by crossing a stone stile over a wall near a small RSPB car park. The settlement lies southeast of South Stack Lighthouse, with open views across the surrounding landscape. About twenty huts have been reconstructed to show how they once looked with conical roofs of turf or thatch. The remains stand as clear evidence of Iron Age life on Anglesey.