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Avebury
Southern
England
The
stone circle at Avebury is the biggest stone circle in the world, with a bank
circumference of 1.5km and height of 17m. It
is believed that it would have taken (approximately!) 1.5 million man hours to
construct the site, with stones that have an average weight of 40 tons.
Although
the stone circle at Avebury is not quite as well known as Stonehenge, the site
itself is far grander than that of Stonehenge.
It is also believed that the circle at Avebury was in it's time, far more
important and significant than that of Stonehenge.
In
August 1999, and excavation revealed the remains of six stone settings.
The excavators believed that these settings form an avenue that is part
of "Beckhampton Avenue" that leads westwards from the henge.
"Beckhampton Avenue" was last recorded in the 1720s by the
antiquarian William Stukeley.
The
excavation was part of a four year "Negotiating Avebury Project".
When concluded the project should include a virtual reality modelling of
the stones.
Inside
the main outer circle, there are remains of two inner features, of which one may
have been in the shape of a horse shoe. Leading
off from the main circle are two "Avenues", one of which is now lost. The remaining one being West Kennet Avenue.
There
has been much written about Avebury, but two books about the site that are
recommended are "Prehistoric Avebury" by Aubrey Burl, and "The
Avebury Cycle" by Michael Dames.
Directions
Part
of the stone circle surrounds Avebury
village. The village itself is well signposted. There is a large car
park, and as the National Trust own the site there are full facilities available
for visitors.
Also the the National Trust Restaurant in the village is to be recommended for it's fantastic food! Serving mainly vegetarian and organic food (and ale!) everything that we tried was delicious. The restaurant is situated near to the NT shop and the Alexander Keiller Museum.
Photos
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