Surrounded by the rolling landscape of the North Wessex Downs the little village of Avebury stands right in the center of a truly remarkable Neolithic cult site dating from the end of the third millennium B.C. There is much to see in the village.
All the Avebury attractions lie within a radius of 1.25-2mi/2-3km of Avebury and are well signposted; some however can only be reached on foot.
The Avebury Stone Circles which surround the village were constructed 4,500 years ago and originally comprised about 180 stones. Only 27 of the Outer Circle stones are still standing. There is also an avenue of stones.
The 1.5mi/2.5km-long, 49ft/5m-wide Kennet Avenue, marked out by some 200 stones arranged in pairs, linked the southern exit of Avebury Circle with the Sanctuary on Overton Hill.
The third century B.C. West Kennet Long Barrow is one of the most outstanding megalithic tombs in England. The arrangement of the stones in the construction of the barrow's several burial chambers and passageways, in which 40 skeletons were uncovered, is particularly impressive.
The Alexander Keiller Museum is a collection of models, displays and archaeological finds shedding light on what is one of the largest megalithic monuments in Europe.
This museum contains one of the most important prehistoric archaeological collections in Britain - the results of research on the Avebury Stone Circles conducted by Alexander Keiller in the 1930s.
Address: Avebury Manor and Garden / Alexander Keiller Museum, Marlborough SN8 1RF, England
Hours:
April 1 to October 31: 10am-6pm
November 1 to March 31: 10am-4pm
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), Christmas Eve - Christian (December 24), Christmas - Christian (December 25), Day after Christmas, St Stephen's Day, Boxing Day (December 26)
Tips: Family admission (2 adults and up to 3 children).
Parking: Free
Disability Access: Partial facilities for persons with disabilities.
Facilities: Gift shop
Transit: BritRail: Swindon then a bus to the museum
The Avebury Manor is an Elizabethan house with notable Queen Anne alterations and Edwardian renovations as well as 17th C furnishings. Topiary, flower gardens and medieval walls surround the house.
Address: Avebury Manor and Garden / Alexander Keiller Museum, Marlborough SN8 1RF, England
Hours:
April 1 to October 31: 2pm-4:40pm; Closed: Mon, Thu, Fri, Sat
Always opened on: Spring Bank Holiday - Britain (last Monday, May ), Summer Bank Holiday - Britain outside Scotland (last Monday, August )
Tips: Garden is open April - October, daily except Monday and Thursday, 11 am - 5:30 pm.
No dogs allowed.
Last admissions 5 p.m. or dusk if earlier.
Parking: Free
Disability Access: Partial facilities for persons with disabilities.
Facilities: Gift shop
Transit: BritRail: Swindon then a bus to the property
On Overton Hill there were several circles - six concentric stone and timber rings, the latter probably being uprights supporting wooden roofs. Pottery finds suggest the site continued in use as late as the Bronze Age.
Highly recommended is a walk along a stretch of the 85mi/136km Ridgeway (signposted with an acorn symbol). This long distance footpath goes from Overton Hill at Avebury, via Uffington White Horse, to the Ivinghoe Beacon near Tring. It makes its way across delightful chalk downland with distant views and past ancient sites redolent with history from the Stone Age to the days of Roman rule.
The stretch of trail between Avebury and the River Thames at Goring is also open to horse riders and cyclists.
From Norman times to the Tudor period the ancient Savernake Forest (8mi/13km southeast of Avebury) was the hunting preserve of England's kings, teeming with wild boar and red deer. In the 18th century the landscape architect "Capability" Brown planted it with deciduous trees. Today the forest's pleasant paths and picnic places offer visitors the opportunity to relax. The Grand Avenue with its splendid old beeches is particularly lovely.
In Neolithic times livestock were herded into this enclosure, which takes the form of three concentric rings of earthworks and ditches, prior to the annual autumn slaughter. So great was the number of finds made here that archaeologists refer to an early phase of the Neolithic period in England as "the Windmill Hill culture".
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Avebury Stone Circles
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Avebury Stone Circles, Avebury
Avebury Stone Circles, Avebury
Avebury Stone Circles, Avebury
Calne - Bowood House & Gardens, Avebury
Avebury
