Gatewen Hall round barrow

Gatewen Hall round barrow stands on farmland near Brychdyn in Wrexham County Borough. It is a Bronze Age burial mound built by people who lived between 3000 BC and 600 BC. The mound measures twenty-one metres across and rises one and a half metres above the field. Cadw has listed it as a scheduled ancient monument under reference DE290. Wales holds nearly four hundred such round barrows, more than any other kind of prehistoric site. The barrow was raised when communities first began to bury their dead in earthen mounds. Most of these mounds appeared between 2400 BC and 1500 BC. Archaeologists recognise Gatewen Hall as part of a wider tradition of ceremonial earthworks. Its flat top and wide base suggest it once held a chamber for the remains of important people. Visitors walk across the ploughed field to reach the low grassy mound. The surrounding farmland stretches to the horizon, giving a sense of isolation. From the top the land falls away gently in every direction. The barrow itself is unmarked except for a few rabbit holes and a single hawthorn bush on its side. On calm days the wind carries the sound of distant traffic from the A483.