CAER Heritage Project

Mel and Cath, two PhD students at our School of History, Archaeology and Religion, are helping to organise the CAER Heritage Project.

Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the Caerau And Ely Rediscovering (CAER) Heritage Project is based around one of Cardiff’s most important archaeological sites, Caerau Iron Age hillfort. 

This collaborative project between Cardiff University and Action in Caerau and Ely (ACE) engages local residents and school children in their shared history and helps to challenge marginalisation. 

Caerau Iron Age hillfort, one of the most impressive in South-East Wales, stood as the centre of power for the region before the Roman invasion in AD74. The remains of a ringwork and church built during the Medieval period can still be seen today. 

In the first century AD, a Roman villa was constructed in the area, and the remains of this L-shaped complex still exist under the playing fields at Trelai Park.

The CAER Heritage Project works with the strong communities of Caerau and Ely to connect with this site's historical and archaeological past and make it relevant to the present through events, courses and activities. It has already won two National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement prizes – one for the best national project and another for the best history and heritage project.