Neolithic Avebury, Wiltshire: Explore The Ancient Stones

Avebury’s prehistoric landscape may be lesser known than nearby Stonehenge, but it is in many ways more impressive. In the heart of Wiltshire’s rolling countryside, Neolithic Avebury boasts the world’s largest stone circle, ancient avenues and burial places, and the massive man-made mound of Silbury Hill. Best of all, you can get right up to the stones, and immerse yourself in the world of our ancestors.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site

Avebury forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites, listed in 1986 in recognition of its unparalleled concentration of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments. These ancient sites represent over 2,000 years of ritual and mortuary activity, between 3700 and 1600 BCE. Collectively they showcase the ingenuity of prehistoric communities who shaped the landscape with earth, timber, and stone.

While Stonehenge is celebrated for its architectural precision, the Avebury World Heritage Site is prized for its scale and complexity. The huge circular bank and ditch of Avebury henge, the vast stone circle, and the surrounding monuments reflect a ceremonial landscape of epic proportions. Most of these structures are from the Neolithic period, but there are also some later Bronze Age burial mounds.

The Monuments Of Avebury

The sites are spread out over an area of more than 20 km sq. Although no one really knows exactly how or why the area was used, it is now thought that all the monuments were part of a complex for sacred rites. They were linked by avenues lined with stones, possibly used for ritual processions.

This is part of Avebury’s appeal, allowing visitors to let their imagination roam free. On one visit I watched a group of people, at the centre of the stone circle, performing a solemn ritual with exaggerated hand movements and stamping on scraps of paper. Perhaps an obscure Wiccan ceremony, or just a bonding exercise. Such sights are commonplace at Avebury, where visitors are drawn to the power and mystery of the ancient stones.

Avebury Henge And Circles

Right in the centre of the village is Avebury henge, a huge circular bank and ditch constructed during the Neolithic period, around 2500 BCE. This encloses the remains of the largest stone circle in Europe (stated to be “14 times the size of Stonehenge”), possibly once used for ritual gatherings or astronomical observations.

The Avebury stone circle was originally composed of around 100 standing stones, surrounding a central obelisk and two smaller stone circles. It is also likely that there were some now lost timber structures within the enclosure. Over the years some of the stones were removed, and houses were built in and around the prehistoric site: today the village meanders through the circle.

West Kennet Avenue

Stretching south-east from the main circle, West Kennet Avenue was one of the original stone avenues of the Neolithic complex, a processional route lined with a hundred pairs of standing stones. It linked the “new” circles at Avebury with the even older shrine at The Sanctuary.

Although many of the stones have now disappeared, you can still follow the 2.5 km of the ceremonial path from Avebury to The Sanctuary. Walking the full distance gives a real sense of the significance and grandeur of the journey.

The Sanctuary

The Sanctuary lies at the eastern end of West Kennet Avenue. This was originally an area with two stone circles, and six concentric circles constructed from timber. Though the original structures are now lost, their positions are marked by wooden posts and concrete markers.

The elevated position of The Sanctuary offers sweeping views of the surrounding landscape, reinforcing its probable importance in Neolithic cosmology and spiritual practice. Excavations have revealed pottery, tools, and bones, hinting at ritual use, although the exact purpose is unclear.

West Kennet Long Barrow

Around 2.5 km from The Sanctuary is Overton Hill. Here you will find West Kennet Long Barrow, one of the largest long barrows (multi-chambered burial places) in Britain. Built around 3600 BCE, it contained the remains of about 50 people.

The barrow was sealed shortly after the burials were made, but it continued to attract offerings for a long time afterwards, suggesting that it had some kind of spiritual significance. Today’s visitors can step right inside the stone and earth of the burial chamber, and contemplate the lives – and deaths – of those who lie within.

Windmill Hill

Windmill Hill, around 2.5 km to the northwest of Avebury, is the earliest known monument in the area, built around 3700 BCE. It is the largest causewayed enclosure in Britain, a type of prehistoric earthwork consisting of three concentric ditches enclosing a large hill.

Bones, pottery, and other artifacts have been found here, suggesting that it was used as a camp during large communal gatherings. Apart from the ceremonial aspects, it is likely that these gatherings involved feasts and trading activities. The site was later used by Bronze Age people for the building of burial mounds, and several such mounds can be seen when you stand at the top of the hill.

Because Windmill Hill can only be approached by foot you are likely to have the place to yourself – apart from the sheep!

Silbury Hill

Perhaps the most perplexing monument in Avebury, Silbury Hill rises 120 feet from the ground. Constructed from chalk, soil and turf, this is the largest prehistoric man-made mound in Europe. It obviously required a huge amount of effort to build but – despite extensive excavations – its purpose remains unknown. No one has any idea why it was made, or what (if anything) it was used for!

Visible from the road but closed to climbers to protect its fragile ecology, Silbury Hill continues to inspire speculation and awe. Was it a ritual platform, a territorial marker, or a symbolic gesture of power? We may never know.

Other Monuments Of Avebury

Quite apart from the main sites, you are likely to encounter standing stones and burial places wherever you go. The Adam and Eve Stones (also known as Longstones), close to the hamlet of Avebury Trusloe, are all that now remain of another ceremonial avenue, echoing the design of West Kennet Avenue. And nearby is the Longstones Long Barrow, located on private land but just visible over a hedge.

Elsewhere, a quick glance at the Ordnance Survey map shows that there is plenty more to discover if you look hard enough. The whole area is a mosaic of prehistoric activity, layered with mystery and meaning.

Alexander Keiller Museum

To learn more about Neolithic Avebury visit the Alexander Keiller Museum in the centre of the village. Keiller was an archaeologist who was responsible for the excavation of the site in the 1930s, and the museum exhibits items found locally, including pottery, tools and bones. There are also interpretative displays explaining how the various structures might have appeared in the Stone Age and Early Bronze Age, and showing their relationship to the surrounding landscape.

Your ticket to the museum includes entrance to the National Trust Stables and Barn Galleries, which tell the story of the World Heritage Site and its monuments.

Visiting Neolithic Avebury: A Few Practicalities

• There is no charge to visit the World Heritage Site, although there is an admission fee for the Avebury village car park and the Visitor Centre (free for National Trust members and for English Heritage members with a car sticker).
• You can walk or drive to the other sites from the centre of Avebury. There is free car parking at Silbury Hill, The Sanctuary and West Kennett (the Long Barrow is a short walk up the hill). To visit Windmill Hill you will need to walk along a footpath from Avebury.
• Visitors using public transport can take a bus from Swindon railway station (the bus trip takes around half an hour).
• If you are planning to visit all the sites, you will need to allow a full day for your exploration. Although it is nowhere near as crowded as Stonehenge, Avebury does attract tourists and coach tours, so try to avoid visiting on weekends and holidays if possible.
• If you have to travel during the peak period, visit the stone circles early before the coaches arrive, and then go to the other sites, which aren’t always included on tourist itineraries.
• Avebury and Stonehenge are around 40 km apart so it is possible to visit both in a day. Combined day trips from London are available.
• To understand more about the region’s archaeology, visit the Wiltshire Museum in Devizes. It houses an outstanding collection of artefacts from the Neolithic and Bronze Age, including items from Avebury and nearby locations.
• Avebury is an easy day trip from Bath (44 km).
• Keen cyclists might be interested in an Ancient Ridgeway and Avebury Cycle Tour that takes in the main sights of Avebury and a few hidden spots as well…