We visited Tan-y-Coed Burial Chamber at Rhydyglaves, Cynwyd, on Thursday 17th July, with the kind permission of the landowner. Fiona Gale, the County Architect, told us that the Burial Chamber was from the Neolithic Period, dating back about 5500 years, to a time when man was just starting to build timber housed settlements and to grow crops. Tools at this time would have been made of stone, timber or leather, as metals were unknown.
The total mound is approximately 38m long and 21m wide, with a maximum height of 3.2m. The shape and size have been altered over the years due to ploughing and it is not known what the exact shape and size were originally. One side of the mound has been excavated to expose a capstone which measures 3.5×2.4×0.5m, with an exposed chamber visible below. It is not known who did the excavation and when, or whether anything was found in the chamber.
The rest of the burial mound has not been disturbed and we could only wonder what we were standing on. The Site is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument and cannot be excavated now without permission.
We speculated on where the people were actually living and what the valley would have looked like at that time. We all wondered what could be hidden underground that would shed more light on these people who walked over this area so many years ago.
