Stonehenge is one of the country’s most famous monuments, attracting thousands of visitors every day. However it should not be seen in isolation: the stone circle is just a small part of a much larger story. The wider Stonehenge landscape covers a vast area of earthworks, avenues, barrows and prehistoric settlements, all of which contribute to an understanding of our Neolithic ancestors, their lives and deaths, and their ceremonial practices.
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The Neolithic Landscape Of Stonehenge And Avebury
The UNESCO World Heritage Site known as Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites covers two clusters of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments, placing them within the context of their landscapes. Taken as a whole, these ancient monuments form a massive ceremonial complex, one whose precise meaning and significance is still the subject of archaeological research and conjecture.
Located on the chalkland meadows of Salisbury Plain, Stonehenge and its associated monuments have shaped the land over thousands of years. For many centuries the area was quiet farmland, and recent use for defence purposes has preserved a unique and unspoilt landscape. The only real way to understand it is to walk away from the crowds, to wander between the monuments and along the ancient paths, just as people would have done in Neolithic times.
Putting Stonehenge In Context
I followed a circular walk from Woodhenge and Durrington Walls towards Stonehenge itself. This made it easier to put the monument into context, passing places where people might have lived, worked, and performed their rituals. The walk incorporated several burial mounds, including the Old and New King Barrows, a reminder that this was a landscape for the dead as well as the living.
Eventually you reach Stonehenge Avenue, a long processional route that once connected the stone circle to the River Avon. And nearby is the Stonehenge Cursus, a vast linear earthwork whose exact purpose is still uncertain. From here you can glimpse Stonehenge in the distance, with crowds circling the stones. Yet you are likely to have the walk to yourself, in peaceful countryside with only sheep and the occasional buzzard for company.
Woodhenge
Built around 2500 BCE, Woodhenge once consisted of six concentric circles of wooden posts surrounded by a ditch and a bank. The earthwork was discovered in the 19th century, but the actual layout of the site was not understood until aerial photographs were taken in the 1920s.
The original posts have long vanished but their positions are marked today by concrete pillars. The exact purpose of the henge is not known but it is assumed that it had some ritual use.
Durrington Walls
Durrington Walls is a massive henge and one of the largest earthworks in Britain. This is thought to have been the site of a major settlement during the late Neolithic period, possibly home to the people who built Stonehenge. Recent archaeological research has revealed evidence of houses and communal areas, suggesting a thriving community.
According to some historians there is a possibility that Durrington Walls was once part of a ceremonial circuit linking Woodhenge, Stonehenge and the River Avon.
Exploring The Stonehenge Landscape
- Car parking is available close to Woodhenge, just off the A345. From here you can follow a National Trust circular walk of Woodhenge, Durrington Walls and the surrounding area (around 8 km).
- If you wish to combine your walk with a visit to Stonehenge itself you will need to drive to the Visitor Centre for access. Entrance is free for English Heritage members, and non-members can pre-book a timed admission ticket. (National Trust England members can also gain free entry but are advised to book in advance.)
- For more information about the World Heritage Site as a whole, and prehistoric monuments in the region, a visit to the Wiltshire Museum in Devizes is recommended. Here you will find an extensive collection of artefacts in the Stonehenge and Avebury Landscape gallery. This makes an ideal starting point for understanding Stonehenge not as an isolated prehistoric monument, but as part of a much larger ceremonial world.
- Avebury, with its stone circles and associated monuments, is just 40 km away.
- For more exploration of the landscape of Salisbury Plain you might also like to drive to the lost village of Imber (accessible only on certain days of the year).
- If you are spending more time in the region have a look at this post – Days Out In Wiltshire: History, Towns And Countryside.
