Church Hill Roman Temple

Suspected Romano-british Temple Or Shrine

The Church Hill Romano-British enclosure is a historic site that consists of the remains of an embanked enclosure, believed to date from the late Iron Age and Romano-British periods, spanning from around 100 BC to AD 410. This circular enclosure is located on the upper leading edge of an east-facing slope, forming the western side of the Green Cwm. The site is situated within a wooded area and covers an area of approximately 44 meters in diameter. The enclosure is defined by a substantial spread rubble bank that measures about 5 meters in thickness and reaches a height of up to 0.7 meters.

The presence of a significant number of Roman finds, such as pottery, tile, painted wall plaster, and a tessera or mosaic tile, suggests that the enclosure was likely used for high-status occupation during the Roman period. The lack of ornate pottery and metal objects typically found in Roman villas, as well as the absence of military-related finds, suggests that it may not have been a villa or a military site.

One possible interpretation based on the findings is that Church Hill could have been a temple or sanctuary due to its location in an area of religious significance. The proximity to Neolithic chambered tombs, Bronze Age burials in Cat Hole and Tooth Cave, and the fact that the enclosure was built over the ruins of a Roman site, suggest a long history of ritual activity in the area. Similar patterns of Roman sites being adopted as centres of early Christianity are seen in other locations in Wales, where pre-Norman churches were built within circular or near-circular enclosures with banks, resembling the Church Hill site.

The name “Church Hill” itself may also indicate that there was a church or early Christian site at the location, although no surviving documents provide evidence of such a connection. The possibility that the site was converted from a pagan sanctuary that dates back to Roman times, or even earlier to the earliest times of monument-building in Gower, is also raised. Comparisons are made to other sites in Wales, such as Parc Bryn Cegin near Bangor, where ritual activity appears to be concentrated in a small area over a long period of time. This raises the question of whether Green Cwm, where Church Hill is located, could be another centre of such activity.

Sites near Church Hill Roman Temple