Pont ar Daf Car Park, Brecon Beacons – Archaeological Field Evaluation

Back in the summer of 2017 we were commissioned by National Trust Wales to carry out an archaeological field evaluation ahead of the proposed extension to the existing popular car park to inform on the nature and extent of any archaeological remains at Pont ar Daf Car Park in the Brecon Beacons National Park. The proposed development consists of the construction of a new extended car park of around 263 spaces in an area of former forestry and Post-medieval settlement. The car park construction is now well advanced.

There was a significant potential to encounter Prehistoric, Roman, Post-medieval and WWII defensive activity in the general vicinity. With particular emphasis on the presence of the Storey Arms WWII Anti-Invasion Stop Line (SAMBr337) and associated sites, the Beulah-Penydarren Roman Road (14900/14901/14902) and the old Storey Arms public house (115060), outbuildings and fieldscape.

Arguably the most significant discovery was that of the metalled surface found in Trench 6. It is possible that the poorly surviving metalled surface is the Beulah to Penydarren Roman road (RRX77 14900) suggested by Hogg and Houlder (1969), however, we did not recover any dating evidence to confirm this hypothesis. The road feature is very fragmented but appears to survive well, breaking the ground surface along the modern post and wire fence boundary. A 3D photogrammetric model of the potential road in section is shown above. However, much more investigative work will be required to ascertain the origins of the metalled surface, if indeed it is Roman at all.

For further details please download the report here 108 Pont ar Daf Car Park, Brecon Beacons.