Greenala Point Fort is a multivallate promontory fort, naturally defended on the east and south by sandstone cliffs and on the north by a series of substantial defences. It currently encompasses 1.8 ha, however there is clear evidence that it was once much larger, with traces of the forts defences on at least one of the adjacent stacks.

To the north of the forts interior are a series of slightly curving defences, created through the sculpting and terracing of steep slopes that run down to a nearby spring. This has created a formidable series of four scarp slopes, for which the inner-most slope stands nearly 5m high. The terraces between each line show some evidence of ditching, particularly the area between the outer two lines, which continues to form a clear terminal by the main entrance into the fort. A further feature of interest is a 40m length of bank 0.8m high sitting on the terrace between the inner two lines. Outside this tier of defences is an open, relatively level area, which may represent an outer enclosure or annexe. The natural slope defining the northern edge of this enclosure appears to have been modified and there is evidence to suggest an entrance with oblique approach.

A single straight bank containing a 4m wide inturned entrance defines the west side of the forts interior. The outer face of the bank is the most dominant standing nearly 4m high in comparison to the much slighter inner face only 0.4m high. The fort's interior encompasses 0.4 ha and within it are a serious of features of which the most distinct are two large hollows, a possible quarry ditch following the line of the inner rampart and a roughly square platform 7m wide and 0.3m high located at the forts highest point. The Pembrokeshire Archaeological Survey of 1897-1906 describes the remains of a `kitchen midden? and portions of a skeleton recovered from the side of the cliff here.

Directly to the west of the interior is a small triangular annexe or `forecourt? space. Access to this area and then on into the main fort interior was via the main entrance situated between the defences that surround the forts interior and the three lines of ramparts that surround the annexe. Fragments of walling have been observed in the ploughsoil around the main entrance and at the foot of the outer annexe rampart and include limestone and quartz blocks which would have been brought to the site. Each rampart line of the annexe comprises a bank and external ditch and all are a substantial size, the outer rampart ditch is 2m deep and the bank stands 4m high from the base of the ditch and 1.5m internally.

A detailed survey of the fort was carried out by RCAHMW in 2009.

Louise Barker, RCAHMW, 10 August 2009

References:

Page, M., Barker, L., Driver, T. and Murphy, K. 2008. Remote sensing and the Iron Age coastal promontory forts of Pembrokeshire, Archaeology in Wales 48, 27-38.

Barker, L. and Driver, T., 2011. Close to the Edge: New Perspectives on the Architecture, Function and Regional Geographies of the Coastal Promontory Forts of the Castlemartin Peninsula, South Pembrokeshire, Wales. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 77, 65-87.