In comparison with surrounding farmland, many woodland sites lie relatively undisturbed. Evidence of past use is often obvious and all Coed Cymru plans are prepared to protect archaeological interests.

The two 10 metre diameter roundhouses are being built at Melin Llynnon,Llanddeusant, Anglesey, as a tourism and education centre to show how natural resources, especially woodlands, might have been used in prehistory. They are based on archaeological finds dating back to the late bronze age or early iron age, approximately 2,500 to 3,000 years ago.

To construct one roundhouse it took approximately 10 cubic metres of oak, 12 cubic metres of ash, 2,500 linear metres of hazel, 1,900 bundles of water reed (1 bundle is 2' circumference, 1' above butt, usually at the tie) and 10 tonnes of daub. All of the materials, except the water reed, came from Wales.

The roundhouses are being built by Tref Alaw Community Council in partnership with Coed Cymru and the Isle of Anglesey County Council as part of a Cydcoed project run by the Forestry Commission Wales with funding from the EU and Welsh Assembly Government.





The first stage of the charcoal burning process was the preparation of the hearth or "pit". This consisted of the excavation of a flat level circular depression in the ground large enough for the amount of timber being converted.

Charcoal burners chose dry sites for their pits so that the moisture in the ground would soak away as little of the heat as possible. Newly created pits or pits which had not been used for some time were referred to as "green" and produced more charcoal when they were used subsequently after they had dried out.

This photograph shows the remains of an ancient charcoal hearth.

Coed Cymru, The Old Sawmill,
Tregynon, Newtown,
Powys SY16 3PL
Tel 01686 650 777

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