Trelai Park Dig Reveals Bronze Age and Roman Finds — Cardiff 2026

Key Points

• Archaeological excavations at Trelai Park, Cardiff, have returned for a fifth season under the Caerau and Ely Rediscovering (CAER) Heritage Project.
• Finds include well-preserved Bronze Age features (a roundhouse floor), adjacent structures, pits containing small amounts of cremated human remains, and Roman-period material such as pottery suggesting ritual activity or offerings.
• The site lies metres from the visible remains of a Roman villa; new trenches have expanded the area under investigation.
• The project is a partnership between Cardiff University, Action in Caerau and Ely (ACE), local schools, residents and heritage partners, and involves volunteers of all ages.
• Project co-director Oliver Davis (Cardiff University) described the discoveries and larger trench as revealing more people and activity on the site across millennia.
• Volunteers and participants — including long-term helpers, recent graduates and school-aged helpers — emphasised the community, educational and career benefits of the dig.
• ACE’s Operational Development Manager Sam Froud-Powell highlighted the project’s social value: pride in place, community learning and local people shaping the story of Ely and Caerau.

Cardiff (Cardiff Daily) June 30, 2026 – Archaeologists working with the Caerau and Ely Rediscovering (CAER) Heritage Project have reopened excavations at Trelai Park for a fifth successive year, uncovering fresh evidence of Bronze Age occupation and later Roman-period activity that sheds new light on how the area was used over thousands of years.

As reported by Nation.Cymru staff, the CAER project is a partnership led by Cardiff University alongside Action in Caerau and Ely (ACE), local schools, residents and heritage organisations, with volunteers and students working together on expanded trenches at the park. Senior Lecturer and CAER co-director Oliver Davis of Cardiff University told Nation.Cymru:

“It’s incredibly exciting to be back at Trelai for the fifth year. We’re already uncovering new finds and clues into the history of this much-loved park and it’s now clear that there were more people coming here than we previously thought.”

He added that enlarging the trench this season was intended to examine the roundhouse remains and nearby buildings more closely, and that a well-preserved Bronze Age floor surface is providing unusually good information about past daily life.

What Bronze Age features have been revealed and what do they tell us?

Previous seasons at Trelai Park uncovered a well-preserved roundhouse and additional adjacent structures; this season’s work has exposed further parts of those features and pits containing small amounts of cremated human remains. As Oliver Davis explained to Nation.Cymru,

“The floor surface that people walked on in the Bronze Age still survives and is extremely well-preserved. We can tell so much about how they lived their lives from this.”

The survival of a floor surface is significant because it permits closer study of domestic activity, craft residues and the organisation of living spaces in a prehistoric settlement.

Have the excavations produced evidence of Roman-period activity?

Yes. Excavations this year have produced Roman-period material, notably pottery that may indicate ritual activity or offerings at the site. Nation.Cymru reports that this aligns with the site’s proximity to the remains of a Roman villa, visible as a raised grassy area only metres away. Oliver Davis said:

“Last year we got the first glimpses that after the Bronze Age, this area then became significant in the Roman period. We know there was an important Roman person living close by due to our proximity to the Roman Villa. We can now see that this was a place where people left offerings during Roman times. We think there may have been some kind of religious focus on the site, 1,500 years after people left this place.”

Who has been involved in the dig and what are volunteers saying?

As reported by Nation.Cymru, the CAER Heritage Project brings together academic staff, students, local residents and a wide range of volunteers. Long-term volunteer Helen McCarthy, 62, from Culverhouse Cross, told Nation.Cymru:

“It’s about seeing old friends and exploring the archaeology that’s on our doorstep. It’s incredible to know people have been active on this site for 6,000 years. This site tells a story and it’s important to know.”

Em Collins, 31, from Ely, said she was excited to see what the season would reveal and that local finds encouraged her to explore the wider area.

Younger participants and recent graduates have also contributed. Lily Horton, 18, who has just finished A levels and is helping with school visits, said the dig had given her hands-on experience with children and the local heritage:

“I grew up five minutes away from this park. The Roman Villa has always just been there. We are so lucky to have this here on our doorstep.”

Dan Queally, 23, a recent Cardiff University graduate who worked on his dissertation with CAER, returned to volunteer as he pursues a career in commercial archaeology, telling Nation.Cymru that the practical experience is “incredibly valuable” and helps illustrate archaeology’s community impact.

How does the project benefit the local community and partners?

Sam Froud-Powell, Operational Development Manager at ACE, told Nation.Cymru that the project’s value extends beyond academic discovery. He said:

“We are absolutely thrilled by the latest discoveries from the dig. One of the most powerful things about the CAER Heritage Project is that it brings together local residents of all ages, volunteers and Cardiff University students to work side by side, uncovering this extraordinary history together.”

He stressed that ACE sees the project as promoting pride in place, shared learning, confidence-building and ensuring local people remain central to telling Ely and Caerau’s story.

What does the evidence suggest about long-term use of the site?

Combined Bronze Age structural remains, pits with cremated deposits and Roman-period finds indicate recurring significance of this locale across millennia. Nation.Cymru’s coverage notes that the presence of ritual-looking deposits in the Roman period, together with the nearby villa, suggests the area transitioned from domestic Bronze Age occupation to a site of later Roman-era importance, possibly with religious or votive dimensions. The sequence of activity underscores continuity and changing uses of the landscape over several thousand years.

What are the next steps for the CAER Heritage Project?

The project has expanded the trench this season to examine the roundhouse and neighbouring features in greater detail, and fieldwork will continue to record finds, sample contexts for environmental and dating analysis, and integrate volunteer and school participation.

Subsequent laboratory work on pottery, cremation fragments and environmental samples should refine chronological models and clarify the nature of Roman-period activity. Community outreach and education — already a central element — will continue alongside academic analysis.

Background

The Caerau and Ely Rediscovering (CAER) Heritage Project is a collaborative initiative led by Cardiff University with partners including Action in Caerau and Ely (ACE), local schools, residents and heritage organisations.

It has run annual excavations at Trelai Park for five years, during which archaeologists have revealed well-preserved Bronze Age domestic structures (including a roundhouse and surviving floor surfaces), associated pits containing small amounts of cremated human remains, and Roman-period artefacts.

The site’s proximity to visible remains of a Roman villa prompted particular interest in the Roman-era material, suggesting later ritual or votive use of the landscape.

The project explicitly combines research, volunteer engagement, local education and community development, aiming to put residents at the centre of interpreting Ely and Caerau’s long history.

Prediction — how this development can affect local residents, students and heritage stakeholders

• Local residents: Continued discoveries and community involvement are likely to boost local pride and awareness of Ely and Caerau’s deep past. Enhanced heritage visibility can increase community engagement with local green spaces, potentially supporting campaigns for preservation, interpretation panels or guided walks that celebrate the park’s archaeology.
• Students and volunteers: The dig provides practical training and career-clarifying experience for school pupils, university students and recent graduates. Ongoing fieldwork and associated research outputs should increase opportunities for placements, dissertations and entry into commercial archaeology or heritage professions.
• Heritage stakeholders and partners: New material, particularly evidence of Roman-period ritual activity, will inform regional archaeological narratives and may prompt further targeted research or funding applications. Results could strengthen partnerships between academic institutions and community organisations, and support bids for conservation or interpretation grants.
• Planning and conservation implications: As the archaeological sequence becomes clearer, local planning authorities and land managers may need to consider the site’s sensitivity in future development or landscaping decisions for Trelai Park, balancing public use with preservation.