A major new archaeological project will delve deeper into a cave hidden beneath a Welsh castle, where preliminary excavations have already produced some of the most extraordinary prehistoric finds in Britain.
Calleva Foundation funding has been awarded to the University of Aberdeen to lead a five-year exploration of Wogan Cavern at Pembroke Castle – home to remarkable evidence of early prehistoric humans as well as important animal remains, including a hippopotamus which roamed Wales 120,000 years ago.
The project will further be supported by the Pembroke Castle Trust, who are expanding their team and developing the castle space to ensure that the finds from Wogan Cavern will be curated and kept in Pembroke.
The enormous cave, accessed down a spiral staircase from the castle, was thought to have been dug out by the Victorians and it was long assumed that little archaeological material remained.
But small‑scale excavations between 2021 and 2024 uncovered abundant evidence for human and animal visits over more than 100,000 years, with much of Wogan Cavern’s sediments remaining intact. This, say researchers, means the cave is rapidly emerging as one of the most important prehistoric archives in Britain.
Dr Rob Dinnis, who directed the initial excavations, will lead the project for the University of Aberdeen.
The new funding will allow archaeologists to scale up their early work, which has already revealed bones of mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, reindeer and wild horse, as well as stone tools and evidence of human occupation from multiple periods.
“Despite the limited work done so far, we can already say that Wogan Cavern is a truly remarkable site,” said Dr Dinnis. “Not only is there extremely rare evidence for early Homo sapiens, there are also hints at even earlier human occupation, probably by Neanderthals.
“There is no other site like it in Britain – it is a once‑in‑a‑lifetime discovery. With this new project we can learn a great deal about our early prehistoric forebears, about how they lived and what their worlds looked like.”
Researchers say that with larger scale excavation they hope to glean insights into past climate change, extinct species, and the multiple periods when humans called the cave their home.
“We are optimistic that the cave can chart a long sequence of human activity, from hunter-gatherers living there immediately after the last Ice Age around 11,500 years ago, back to Britain’s earliest Homo sapiens between 45,000 and 35,000 years ago, and maybe also earlier traces likely left by Neanderthals.” Dr Dinnis added.
“We have also found hippo bones, which probably date to the last interglacial period, around 120,000 years ago. The site could therefore tell us about how multiple changes in climate and environment affected people living there over 100,000 years or more.”
The project will draw on the University of Aberdeen’s expertise in archaeological science, as well as that of other leading specialists across Britain and Europe.
Professor Kate Britton, a specialist in science-based archaeology at the University of Aberdeen, said: “Wogan Cavern provides a unique chance to use all the scientific techniques now available to archaeologists.
“Because the bones are well preserved, we can learn a lot about past environments and ecosystems, and do high-resolution scientific dating. Furthermore, pilot studies have shown that ancient DNA is preserved, in both the bones and the cave sediments. The project’s team of specialists are excited to learn as much as possible about the cave and its early inhabitants – animal and human – in the coming years.”
For Pembroke Castle – the birthplace of Henry Tudor and already a popular tourist attraction – the project begins a new and exciting chapter in its storied history.
Dr Jonquil Mogg, the newly appointed Collections Manager at Pembroke Castle, commented: “Pembroke Castle has long been a very important part of Welsh and British history. Wogan Cavern has the potential to also establish it as a place of huge significance to British archaeology.”
Jon Williams, Pembroke Castle manager, added: “This is incredibly exciting news for everyone at the castle.
“We have watched with great interest as Wogan Cavern has started to reveal its secrets – it’s very different from the medieval history we usually deal with at the castle! We are thrilled that work on this wonderful cave will continue – we very much look forward to working more with Rob and his team, and securing the collection for the people of Pembroke, Wales and beyond.”
New excavations are scheduled to begin at the end of May.