To
understand and appreciate Avebury Henge you really need to appreciate
the work of Alexander Keiller.
In the medieval ages, the Christian religions saw the pagan monuments
such as Avebury Henge as a threat to their own religion and encouraged
the faithful to destroy them.
As a result, a century ago you would have seen nothing at Avebury
compared with today.
Stones were buried or broken up, some of the stones in the buildings
at Avebury look suspiciously like henge stones.
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| Alexander
Keiller was rich, his wealth coming from the family marmalade and
jam business, a household name 50 years ago. Keiller was a keen amateur
archaeologist and after performing some local digs was so encouraged
that he bought the Avebury site in the 1930s.
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Of
the original 600 stones that approximately made up the henge, only
16 remained at the time of purchase. For an intensive period up until
the 2nd World War, stones were dug up and Keiller set about restoring
the henge back to its former glory. Failing health meant that Keiller
never finished his work and the site is now owned by the National
Trust.
Pits where the stones stood enabled Keiller to know where the stones
originally stood. Keiller first restored the avenue of stones leading
up to the henge from the south, a truly impressive sight. Its is the
western side of the henge that Keiller restored most, the eastern
side is largely barren.
The stone pictured right is a stone that Keiller tried to put back
together from fragments. As you walk around Avebury, concrete posts
mark the location of some missing stones.
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Avebury
henge is a great training camp for Stonehenge about 20 miles south.
Unlike Stonehenge you can see the avenue processional route leading
up to the henge and the ditch and bank that circles the henge is truly
impressive today, even though its half the size it was all those years
ago. |
Unlike
Stonehenge, the stones at Avebury are naturally shaped. They come
from the Marlborough Downs about 3 miles from Avebury - the same source
as the Sarsen stones at Stonehenge.
And unlike Stonehenge, the stones have completely free access, you
can walk among and touch the stones free of charge. |
Avebury
is far, far larger than Stonehenge. Its about a mile to walk around
the perimeter on the bank alone.
There is an outer ring of stones within the ditch and bank. Then within
that, are two separate henges (north and south) with their own separate
ring of stones. The north henge is thought to be dedicated to the
moon and the south the sun.
The south henge is the most complete.
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The
Cove |
| At
the north henge the major focus is on the two stones that make up
the Cove, the ceremonial area at the heart of the henge. Like all
stones at Avebury the stones alternate between male (tall and thin)
and female (wide and squat). The female stone is thought to weigh
up to 100 tons. |
In
the south henge, the stones are more complete. You are first attracted
to the massive entrance stones.
A large concrete plinth now marks the position where one of the largest
of Avebury's stones once stood. Known as "The Obelisk" it
was the central stone of the Southern Inner Circle henge.
The inner circle henges were the earliest components of the Henge
to be built. At about 2900 BC they predate by several centuries the
final henge and avenues.
There are no information boards dotted around the Avebury site, so
its worthwhile invested in a book to accompany your visit. There are
two shops at Avebury for such books, the official National Trust shop
and the Stonehenge Shop a quirky alternative. |
Obelisk
Marker |
Volunteers from the National Trust perform walking tours around midday
and early afternoon most days. These have a small fee but are worthwhile.
The volunteers are very enthusiastic and have much more material than
be crammed into the official one hour tour duration. They have fascinating
photographs and maps too. |
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