Avebury Stone Circle is one of the world's greatest prehistoric monuments: older than Stonehenge,…read moreit is the largest megalithic stone circle (henge) anywhere, and part of what was once an enormous megalithic complex stretching for miles. To me, it's more impressive and more spiritual a place than Stonehenge, despite the fact there's a road and village within its structure.
History
As ever with such sites, our knowledge is limited, but like Stonhenge, it is likely to have been built in phases. The best guess is that construction began around 2600BC with the inner circles, with the great ditch and outer circle completed around 2500BC, making it contemporaneous with the Pyramids at Giza.
When completed, these circles included about 154 stones (only 36 remain today) and it also had two avenues 50 feet wide on either side, extending another one and a half miles. Excavations indicate it was probably used as a ritual site for some 2,300 years.
A mile to the south is the artificial Silbury Hill, which must also have formed a related part of this complex, although its purpose is now unkown. Nearby Windmill Hill - an important settlement in Neolithic times - also has some burial mounds from the Bronze Age.
As well as natural degradation, the monument suffered hugely during the mediaeval period when the Christian authorities actively encouraged demolition of what was regarded as a Pagan monument. This process accelerated in the 17th and 18th centuries, when local people also broke up the stones for building material.
But as late as the 1720s, the great antiquarian Dr William Stukeley was able to trace the original plan, including the avenues: although his interpretation of this as a Druid site is now regarded as inaccurate, his drawings and surveys provide our best record of what it looked like. Alas, the destruction of the stones by local farmers continued unabated into the 19th century.
The 20th century showed a greater interest in and respect for the site, and - rather controversially - many of the stones were re-erected in the 1930s by the archaeologist Alexander Keiller. This involved in some cases demolition of later buildings, themselves of some historical interest. I happen to think he was right to try and preserve what was left, but many contextual historians disagree. Whatever the rights and wrongs, the site is now safely in the hands of the English Heritage and managed by the National Trust.
The site
Today, the most impressive feature is the great ditch and its banks: the excavation of this feature - nearly 0.5km in diameter - involved moving 200,000 tonnes of soil and rock. It may even once have been filled with water to make the interior and island. Even now, the ditch and bank together are impressive, but originally they were even deeper/higher (at around 50ft).
Inside this are the remains of the outer circle, which is nearly complete in the north west and south west corners. The remains of the two inside circles are more fragmentary. Unlike Stonehenge, here you can walk right up to the stones, so allow at least a couple of hours to visit properly.
Don't miss walking south from the main henge monument along the West Kennet Avenue - around 30 standing stones arranged in pairs (to the form the avenue).
Practicalities
There is a gift shop and museum in the nearby Barn and Stables (themselves 17th century buildings) with interactive displays to put everything into context. The museums are fully accessible, but the main site has undulating grassy terrain (without footpaths) which are accessed through "kissing gates". The ground can get soft and rather boggy underfoot if it has been raining, so you will have to judge for yourself. There is a drop-off point in the village.
Parking is the main problem: there is a pay and display car park (free for motorcycles and National Trust Members), on the A4361 road between Beckington and Avebury about 400m from the edge of the henge. This can become packed very quickly in the summer. There's a more central car park for those with disabled parking badges - the Red Lion car park is only for patrons.
The village of Avebury itself is worth a wander around (Avebury Manor - see separate review - and the Red Lion especially, although it does get terribly busy at weekends in summer). For the most part, you'll still be inside the monument itself!
