Excavation at Llanmelin Hillfort, 1930s

Llanmelin is a scheduled ancient monument in the care of Cadw. Llanmelin’s size, strategic position overlooking the coastal plain, its nearness to Caerwent and its demise apparently at the time of the Roman conquest all suggest that it might have been the native Iron Age predecessor of the Roman town at Caerwent. V. E. Nash-Williams, an early Keeper of Archaeology at the National Museum of Wales, conducted excavations at the site, shown in the prints displayed here, between 1930 and 1933. More recently, Cadw have been conducting new excavations at the site, involving local people and other community groups as part of the Llanmelin Community Project.