Prehistoric wonder

On the weekend we went and explored yet another part of wonderful Wiltshire – we headed out to look at the Stone Circle of Avebury and the historical stories of Lacock.

While Kent is often called the Garden of England both due to its beauty and the fact it provides many different crops to the country, I think Wiltshire gives it a run for its money on both counts. It is a beautiful part of the country, a mix of quaint villages, rolling agricultural vistas and gorgeous wooded areas.

No really, it is actually quite interesting.

Before we got to Avebury we visited Silbury Hill. The tallest man-made prehistoric mound in Europe (and supposedly one of the largest in the world) it’s one of those things that you would go ‘oh, kind of interesting’ if you just pass it in a car, but if you stop and have a look and read the information about it, it’s actually quite impressive – to imagine that pre-historic people, with their limited technology, came together and put in the effort to build it is pretty amazing.

A short distance from Silbury Hill is Avebury itself. The interesting thing about Avebury is that it is a village in the middle of one of the most impressive stone circles in the world. You can’t park in town, rather you have to park in the designated car park (free parking for National Trust or English Heritage members) and then a short stroll from the car park you can choose to walk around the stones first, or visit the museums on site.

The Dovecote, Avebury Manor

There are two galleries to the Alexander Keiller Museum. The Barn gallery is more of a hands-on area, and gives a great run down of the history of both the landscape and peoples of the general Avebury area (it is also kept deliberately dark in roof area for the resident bats. How cool is that?) For younger visitors there are dress-ups, games, rubbings and art opportunities. In the Stables gallery is a more ‘traditional’ static display but don’t let that put you off – it is full of fascinating finds from across the ages, from pre-history to the present day. The cost to enter the two galleries of the Museum is £4.40 for adults, £2.20 for children, £12.20 for families or £7.90 for families with one adult. You get a reduction if you arrive by public transport or cycle, and if you are a member of The National Trust or English Heritage, entry is free! (if you are a member of both, they prefer you flash your National Trust membership card.)

The day we were visiting there was filming going on at Avebury Manor for the new BBC series ‘The Manor Reborn’. The Manor will open to the public on the 19th of November, so we hope to get back some time after that, maybe after watching the series (which starts on BBC1 on 24th November, or the day later if you use iPlayer like us )

Of course, what Avebury is most famous for is the Stone Circles and Henge. In my opinion it is way, way more impressive than Stonehenge. Where stones have disappeared, whether through weather, vandalism, or being buried by farmers, there are stone markers. But the original stones are the stars – these things are beautiful and monumental and awesome in the original sense of the word. Even on a cold, windy day it is a great experience to walk around the henge.

To quote from the Introduction to the Avebury Monuments:

Its construction was spread over several centuries beginning about 3000 BC when the Cove and the earliest stage of the Sanctuary were built. It would be another 600 years before the final form was achieved when the avenues were added about 2400 BC. It consists of a circle of land surrounded by a ditch and bank, the bank being outermost. The area covered by the circle is about 28.5 acres and the circumference is approximately 0.8 of a mile. Around the outside of the circle once stood 98 large sarsen stones some of which weighed as much as 60 tons and perhaps more. Within this large outer ring are the remains of two smaller stone circles one of which originally consisted of 27 stones and was about 320 feet in diameter (northern circle) and the other which was about 340 feet in diameter and consisted of 29 stones (southern circle). Both of these inner circles are each much larger than the circle of stones at Stonehenge. It has been calculated that the area occupied by the stone circle at Stonehenge would fit into the outer stone circle at Avebury around 130 times. This gives some idea of how vast the Avebury Henge is.

Make sure when you do that you don’t touch the stones, and please don’t annoy the resident farm animals!

The stone circles are open dusk to dawn and are free to see. The carpark is open