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Awaken History at Avebury, Wiltshire

Posted: Tue, 31st Dec 2024

Amongst the stunning landscapes of Wiltshire lie secrets of its ancient past. Hillsides are adorned with mysterious chalk white horses, the spires of cathedrals and abbeys soar into the skyline, and remnants of life from Neolithic Britain remain within stone circles like those found in Avebury.

Mythical Stone Circles

Avebury Henge sits within a UNESCO World Heritage Site, maintained by the National Trust and English Heritage. Here you’ll find the most well-known stone circle, Stonehenge, with over a million yearly visitors. Lesser-known Avebury is a beautiful site, and we can only sing its praises as a special spot to visit. Unexpected megaliths stretch into the sky, creating dramatic scenes amongst the peaceful countryside. The origins of stone circles is still a bit of a mystery. There are a lot of theories with people believing them to be sites of worship, a place for people to gather or that they were an offering to the gods.

Over time, some of the Avebury stones were removed to be used in local construction and others buried when the site was thought to be related to devil worship. Despite losing some of its original magic, it is still an important site seeing a surge of visitors at the Winter and Summer Solstice.

What You’ll See at Avebury

There are three stone circles at Avebury, the outer circle being the largest in Europe. Using local materials, the outer circle was built from between 98 and 105 stones with two smaller circles sitting within. These smaller circles are aligned from north to south and avenues of stones reach out to the south and west. The stones were placed at regular intervals but doing this was not an easy task. Varying in heights between 12 and 14 feet and weighing more than 40 tons, these stones were lifted, with no cranes or vehicles, and set in place.

Unlike at Stonehenge, you can walk amongst the stones and get a real sense of their size. There’s also no high-end entrance fee to pay, you are just encouraged to leave a donation.

Alexander Keiller Museum

You can learn more about the history of Avebury at the Alexander Keiller Museum. Keiller was an archaeologist who played a big part in excavations in the Avebury area. He even helped restore some of the stones to their standing positions! Many of the artefacts uncovered are on display and during your visit you can see what life was like over 5000 years ago.

Nearby Sites

West Kennet Avenue was created from 100 pairs of standing stones, forming a 1.5 mile route to The Sanctuary from Avebury Henge. The Sanctuary is an arrangement of timber posts and stones where it is thought Neolithic people left offerings.

Just south of Avebury is Silbury Hill, what is known as a prehistoric mound. The reasons for it being built, like the stone circles, are unknown. It is estimated to have taken around 4 million hours of man power to complete. 30 metres high and 160 metres wide it has been used from its construction in 2350BC to the early medieval period when it is thought a defensive structure was built at its summit. Windmill Hill is another example of a Neolithic structure where ditches have been created in the earth. Large numbers of animal bones were found here which show it could have been used for feasts, trading or perhaps rituals.

Lastly, West Kennet Long Barrow is one of the largest and most impressive Neolithic graves. Used for at least 1000 years there are giant stones at the entrance which opens to a series of chambers.

Where to Stay

Sleeping 12 in the middle of Marlborough, The Old Barn is a hop, skip and a jump from Avebury. This spacious house has plenty of its own history. Dine beneath exposed wooden beams, find the old rustic bread oven and spot the well in the snug. Spend your days out walking in the footprints of our Neolithic counterparts before heading back to The Old Barn for a meal together and evenings by the fire.

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