Historical Wiltshire

AVEBURY - The Mysterious Stone Circles

Avebury lies in the heart of the Wiltshire Downs just west of Marlborough - the most ancient borough in England. Avebury stone circles are thought to have been constructed in neolithic times between 2500 to 2000 BC. The Beaker people, so called after their pottery, are thought to have played a major role in their formation, as they did with Stonehenge.



Avebury is more than just a stone circle - although this is itsmain feature. There is also a rampart, a ditch and two mysterious avenues. The rampart or bank is on the outside, then comes the ditch. They both have four entrances and enclose some twenty eight acres. Inside these 'circles' - none of the circumferences are perfect, is the stone circle itself. It once consisted of around one hundred unquarried stones; inside this larger circle were once two smaller circles. Only four stones of one of the smaller circles survive, although it is though there may have once been as many as twenty seven. None of the stones in the other small circle are now standing, although is is thought to have consisted of around twenty nine stones at one time.

Avebury also hosts a museum in which can be found the remains of a prehistoric child called 'Charlie' who was found by Alexander Keiller. The museum houses one of the most important prehistoric archaeological collections in Britain.

In a recent newspaper publication Aliens are being hailed as the builders of the Avebury stones. Regualrs at the Red Lion, the pub which stands in the centre of the circle, are remaining tight lipped about the latest explanation, which is one of many to have been suggested down the years. Apparently the stones are identical to ones on Mars called Cydonia and are arranged in the same formation!

We leave you to draw your own conclusion or visit Avebury and Mars to make your own decision about the similarity.

Tourist information