 Front view of the chamber. |
|
Only a mile
or so from Tinkinswood,
St Lythans chambered
long barrow looks from a distance like it has been built from childrens
building blocks. An almost perfect arrangement of what turns out on close inspection to be three large upright mudstone blocks supporting a huge flat capstone standing on the remains of an earthen mound. This mound would probably have been around 27 metres long and the chamber would have stood at its eastern end. St Lythans, also known as Maesyfelin, and sometimes Gwal-y-Filiast (the greyhound bitch's kennel) dates from the Neolithic and the only finds from the site are a few human remains together with a handful of pottery sherds. Like so many other sites, there are several legends and stories attached to the stones. It is said that they will grant any wish whispered to them on Halloween, and that the capstone spins round three times and goes with the other stones down to the river to bathe on Midsummer's Eve. The field this monument stands has traditionally been known as the Accursed Field, a reference to its supposed lack of fertility. The author and musician Julian Cope however suggests the name may be a corruption of 'Field O'Koeur'. |
 Side and rear view of the chamber. |
 View from the north showing the remains of the earth mound extending to the right of the chamber. |
