Avebury Henge

What You Will See At Avebury Henge

Avebury Henge
Avebury Henge

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.

Alexander Keiller

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


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.


Keiller Stone Avebury

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.

Comparisons With Stonehenge

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.

The Cove Avebury

North Henge

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.

South Henge

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.

Avebury Information

There are no information boards dotted around the Avebury henge 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.

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.

Earth Mysteries, Earth Energies, Ley lines and Astronomical Alignments And All That

If you're into earth goddesses, pagan religions, astronomical alignments and things mystic, this is a great area to explore. You might want to make contact with Peter Knight who lives locally and lectures and write books on the subject.


Peter Knight - Stoneseeker

Summary of Most Popular Guided Tours From London 2012
Including Stonehenge
Stonehenge Afternoon or Morning Tour PR £35 Full Size Bus Stonehenge only. Morning or Afternoon. Daily.
Stonehenge & London Sights PR £59 Full Size Bus Morning tour of London on red London bus. Afternoon tour Stonehenge. Daily.
Stonehenge & Bath PR £45 Full Size Bus Admission Stonehenge afternoon in Bath.
Daily
Stonehenge & Bath IF £54 Small Group Admission Stonehenge + Roman Baths at Bath. Saturdays only.
Windsor - Stonehenge - Bath PR £71 Full Size Bus Admission Windsor, Stonehenge + Pub lunch. Flexible time Bath after tour. Daily
Windsor - Stonehenge - Bath IF £85 Small Group Admission Stonehenge, Roman Baths, but not Windsor. Mon, Wed,Fri and Sat.
Windsor - Stonehenge - Lacock - Bath PR £88 Midi Size Bus Admission Windsor, Stonehenge + Pub lunch at Lacock included - Not Tues+Sat
Windsor - Stonehenge - Oxford EE £79 Full Size Bus Admissions to Windsor Catle, Stonehenge, Walking Tour Oxford. Daily
Salisbury - Stonehenge - Avebury IF £85 Small Group Admission Stonehenge+Salisbury Cathedral. Tour Avebury. Wednesdays
Lacock - Bath - Stonehenge IF £85 Small Group Admission Stonehenge + Roman Baths at Bath. Walking tour Lacock. Tuesdays.
Stonehenge - Glastonbury - Avebury IF £85 Small Group Admission Stonehenge, Glastonbury Abbey. Fridays.
Stonehenge - Glastonbury - Avebury AN £75 Small Group Admission Stonehenge, Glastonbury Abbey. Daily.
Salisbury - Stonehenge - Bath EE £74 Full Size Bus Admissions to Salisbury Cath, Stonehenge, Roman Baths. Daily
Stratford - Cotswolds - Stonehenge - Bath PR £80 Full Size Bus Admission Stratford, Stonehenge, Tour Cotswolds Tues,Fri,Sun
Oxford - Cotswolds - Bath - Stonehenge IF £169 2 Day small group with hotel Includes admissions, walking tors and good hotel. Every Weekend
Stonehenge Special Access Tours
Stonehenge - Lacock - Bath PR £97 Various Special access admission at Stonehenge plus Roman Bath
Stonehenge - Salisbury or Avebury AN £79 Various Special access at Stonehenge plus either Avebury or Salisbury
Stonehenge From Salisbury   £85 Various Evening Special access at Stonehenge from Salisbury
Cotswolds, Oxford, Stratford Upon Avon, Warwick Castle
Oxford - Stratford - Warwick Castle PR £71 Full Size Bus Admission Christ Church Oxford and Shakespeare's Birthplace + Warwick
In depth Cotswolds + Lunch - Stratford PR £76 Full Size Bus With lunch + Cream Tea in Cotswolds, Walking Tour Stratford. Tues, Thur, Sat
Oxford - Cotswolds - Stratford IF £85 Small Group Guided tours of Oxford, Stratford, Burford, Boutron On Water. Thursday & Sunday
Oxford - Cotswolds - Stratford AN £75 Small Group Guided tours of Oxford, Stratford, Cream T Cotswolds. Daily.
Oxford and Stratford AN £50 Full Size Bus Includes Anne Hathaway's Cottage.
Tues+Thurs+Sat+Sun
Windsor - Stonehenge - Oxford EE £79 Full Size Bus Admissions to Windsor Catle, Stonehenge, Walking Tour Oxford. Daily
Stratford - Stonehenge - Bath PR £80 Full Size Bus Admission Stratford, Stonehenge, Roman Baths. Tues,Fri,Sun
Oxford - Cotswolds - Bath - Stonehenge IF £169 2 Day small group with hotel Includes admissions, walking tors and good hotel.Every Weekend
Canterbury, Greenwich Thames River Cruise, Leeds Castle & Dover
Leeds - Canterbury - Dover - Greenwich PR £71 Full Size Bus Admission Leeds Castle, Canterbury, Lunch Dover. Greenwich tour+cruise.
Scotland, Amsterdam & Paris
Day Trip Paris - Train & Metro/River Pass PR £119 Eurostar Train Day return on Eurostar train. Paris public transport pass and Seine cruise.
Escorted Day Trip To Paris PR £149 Eurostar Train Pickup from hotel. Eurostar day return. Fully escorted tour of Paris
Luxury Day Trip To Paris PR £209 Eurostar Train Pickup from hotel. Eurostar day return. Tour + Champagne lunch on Eiffel Tower.
3 day Weekend Break In Paris IF £229 Coach 2 nights in Paris with full sightseeing.
Optional Versailles trip.
3 Day Weekend Break In Edinburgh IF £189 Train 2 nights in Edinburgh with guide, optional trips to Highlands. Every Friday.
3 Day Weekend Break In Amsterdam IF £229 Coach 2 nights in Amsterdam with guide and full sightseeing programme.
IF - International Friends (Uses 16 seat minibuses)
AN - Anderson Tours		 EE - Evan Evans Tours
PR - Premium Tours