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Avebury - Neolithic site

The village of Avebury is home to one of the most complex and extensive Neolithic (late Stone Age) sites in the whole of Europe. It is a henge monument meaning it comprises a circular bank with an internal ditch. Its circumference of over 1000 yds/metres makes it by far the largest known example anywhere from this date (c.4000 BC).
Within the henge is the great outer circle - the largest Stone Circle in Britain and one of the largest in Europe.
Within the large circle are two smaller circles, the central inner circle, with "The Cove" at its centre, and the southern inner circle which has "The Obelisk" at its centre.
There is thought to have been a northern small circle too, which partly crossed the northern perimeter of the main circle, but little of this remains.
To the south of the great circle runs the Kennet Avenue of stones, this double row of stones c.30yds/25m wide runs for about 1½ miles (2.5km) in a straight line from Avebury to "The Sanctuary"
The area around Avebury is dotted with numerous Stone Age features, such as Silbury Hill and West Kennet Long Barrow; The Sanctuary and Windmill Hill.
Not far away is the famous Stonehenge and together these ancient sites form a UNESCO World Heritage Site LinkExternal link

Much of the Avebury site owes its present good condition to the work of Alexander Keiller LinkExternal link who spent most of his own personal fortune excavating and restoring the site in the 1920s. Many of the stones had been buried and he re-erected them and saved many artefacts that now form the basis of the museum in the village. In 1943 Keiller sold the estate to the National Trust for just £12,000 being the agricultural value of the land.
Many of the ancient stones have disappeared - perhaps a few may be discovered in the future. At present, missing stones are marked by small concrete obelisks which Keiller originally installed.

Not surprisingly, the whole site is a Scheduled Ancient Monument - see EH listing here LinkExternal link
It also has a World Heritage Site listing with EH LinkExternal link (see also link to UNESCO above)
by Rob Farrow

Created: Fri, 13 May 2016, Updated: Mon, 16 May 2016


45 images use this description:

SU1069 : Avebury stone and house in the High Street by David Smith
2025
SU1070 : Stone in north-east of Avebury Stone Circle by David Smith
2025
SU1070 : Two standing stones, Avebury by David Smith
2025
SU1069 : Path and ditch on south of Avebury Stone Circle by David Smith
2025
SU1070 : North-east sector of Avebury Stone Circle by David Smith
2025
SU1070 : Averbury Henge seen from the National Trust shop by Basher Eyre
2022
SU1069 : Cows amid the stones by Stephen Craven
2022
SU1069 : West Kennett Avenue, outlier stone by Stephen Craven
2022
SU1069 : Close-up of a sarsen, Avebury by Alan Murray-Rust
2022
SU1067 : West Kennet Long Barrow by Alan Murray-Rust
2022
SU1069 : Avebury henge stones by Stephen Craven
2022
SU1069 : West Kennet Avenue from the south by Alan Murray-Rust
2022
SU1069 : West Kennett Avenue, looking south by Stephen Craven
2022
SU1068 : Footpath to Silbury Hill by Alan Murray-Rust
2022
SU1069 : Avebury henge - ditch and bank by Stephen Craven
2022
SU1070 : Avebury Henge - ditch and outer bank by Stephen Craven
2022
SU1068 : The track up to West Kennet Long Barrow by Alan Murray-Rust
2022
SU1068 : Unofficial path to Silbury Hill by Stephen Craven
2022
SU1168 : The Sanctuary, Overton Hill, Avebury by Alan Murray-Rust
2022
SU1067 : West Kennet Long Barrow by Alan Murray-Rust
2022
SU1070 : North-west quadrant of Avebury Henge by Stephen Craven
2022
SU1069 : A grandstand view of Avebury . . . by Alan Murray-Rust
2022
SU1070 : The Cove at Avebury by Alan Murray-Rust
2022
SU1069 : West Kennett Avenue, looking north by Stephen Craven
2022
SU1069 : West Kennett Avenue, repaired stone by Stephen Craven
2022
SU1070 : Eroded sarsen, Avebury by Alan Murray-Rust
2022
SU1168 : Footpath near West Kennet by Alan Murray-Rust
2022
SU1069 : Supercilious sarsen, West Kennet Avenue by Alan Murray-Rust
2022
SU1168 : The Sanctuary, Overton Hill by Alan Murray-Rust
2022
SU1168 : Solitary sarsen stone alongside the B4003 by Alan Murray-Rust
2022
SU1068 : Silbury Hill, seen from the A4 by Stephen Craven
2022
SU1069 : Standing stone, Avebury by Brian Robert Marshall
2020
SU1070 : The Cove, Avebury by Sandy Gerrard
2020
SU1069 : Avebury stone circle and henge by Sandy Gerrard
2016
SU1069 : Avebury stone circle and henge by Sandy Gerrard
2016
SU1069 : Stones at Avebury by PAUL FARMER
2016
SU1070 : Avebury - Stones on western side by Rob Farrow
2016
SU1069 : Avebury - South-east section of the Henge by Rob Farrow
2016
SU1070 : Avebury - The Cove by Rob Farrow
2016
SU1069 : Avebury - Some stones of the Southern Inner Circle by Rob Farrow
2016
SU1069 : Stones at Avebury by PAUL FARMER
2016
SU1070 : Avebury by Jeff Buck
1997
SU1070 : Avebury Circle by Jeff Buck
1997
SU1070 : Avebury Stone Circle by Jeff Buck
1997
SU1069 : Avebury stone circle by Christopher Hilton
1995


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