Avebury Stone Circle, Silsbury Hill, West Kennett Long Barrow, Sanctuary Stone Circle and Overton Down
A Walk Exploring Britain's Finest Collection of Prehistoric Monuments
The largest henge and stone circle in the British Isles are set within a tranquil Wiltshire vale. A settlement sprang up within the standing stones and grew to become the village of Avebury. In 1649, Avebury was discovered by the diarist and author John Aubrey, who wrote, "it does as much exceed in greatness the so renowned Stonehenge as a cathedral doth a parish church". He had no idea who had constructed it, nor could he have foreseen its near destruction within the next century. Fortunately, William Stukeley, an antiquarian, was equally captivated by the place and spent seven years making meticulous notes and drawings of what he called "that stupendous temple, the most august work at this day upon the globe of the earth". He witnessed the toppling and smashing of many great stones by builders extending the village. His work provides an invaluable insight into what has been lost, and inspired a partial restoration of the site in the 20th century. It helped archaeologists to prove that the Avebury complex was a national monument when it was laid out over 4,500 years ago.
The Avebury we see today would not exist without the work of Alexander Keiller. This Scot, from the famous Dundee marmalade family, gave his personal fortune and the most active years of his life to restoring what he saw as Britain's most important archaeological site. Impressed by Stukeley's book on Avebury, Keiller started excavating the area in the late 1920s, buying up land even when no trace of ancient monuments remained above the soil. He helped prevent the building of a planned Marconi wireless station and tower, and slowly acquired the land on which ancient Avebury stood. Most of the stones seen today were located underground by skilled teams and were carefully raised into their former positions, where most of them had not been seen for centuries. Alexander Keiller died in 1955, and as a final act of goodwill, he left all the land he had acquired to the National Trust in the hope they would complete the restoration.
