<< Our Photo Pages >> West Kennet Avenue - Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue in England in Wiltshire
Submitted by TimPrevett on Wednesday, 14 February 2024 Page Views: 25384
Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: West Kennet Avenue Alternative Name: AveburyCountry: England County: Wiltshire Type: Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue
Nearest Town: Marlborough Nearest Village: Avebury
Map Ref: SU10696928 Landranger Map Number: 173
Latitude: 51.422432N Longitude: 1.847648W
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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External Links:
I have visited· I would like to visit
Traumrealistin would like to visit
Chrus visited on 1st Jan 2030 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 3
Couplands visited on 12th Sep 2023 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 3 Access: 4
NDM visited on 1st Dec 2022 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 5 Access: 4
aolson visited on 24th Jun 2022 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 3 Access: 5 Unfortunately we were able to spend all of a minute or two here before having to head back to London.
Phillwhite visited on 16th Sep 2021 - their rating: Cond: 3
TheCaptain visited on 25th Sep 2020 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 5 Access: 4 Down to the bottom of Waden Hill and now head up the West Kennet Avenue towards Avebury. Its stones are positively glowing in the afternoon sunshine. This is obviously the way to approach Avebury, and even a herd of bullocks in the enclosure couldn't deter me from walking all the way up, although I did divert to the top of the area to avoid most of them, which meant not seeing the stone with the polishing grooves again. At the top of the Avenue, cross the road and enter the enormous henge through the entrance portal with the beautiful trees and enormous Barber Stone, which I make sure I get a sit down on. The stones of the inner circle are glowing in the bright sunshine, as I decide to go for a pint in the Red Lion.
TheCaptain visited on 18th Sep 2019 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 5 Access: 4 Before going home, still feeling good and time to visit the Kennet Avenue, so walked up and down that, finding the second polisher stone. Beautiful day out.
michelle_b007 visited on 13th Aug 2019 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 5
sba_dk visited on 18th Jul 2019 - their rating: Cond: 5 Amb: 5 Access: 5
Hodur visited on 29th Dec 2018 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 5
bishop_pam visited on 15th Oct 2017 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 4 Access: 5
SandyG visited on 7th Aug 2016 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 5 Access: 5
XIII saw from a distance on 13th Aug 2015 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 4
KimIannucci visited on 29th Jul 2015 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 5 Access: 3
NorthernerInLondon visited on 11th Aug 2014 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 4 Access: 4
jeffrep visited on 27th May 2011 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 5
markj99 visited on 9th Feb 2011 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 5 Access: 4 West Kennet Avenue is one of my favourite sites. Unlike Avebury stone circles it is not surrounded by modernity. One can easily imagine a ceremonial procession up West Kennet Avenue leading to the majesty of Avebury Stone Circles.
johnstone visited on 30th Jun 2010 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 5 Access: 5
graemefield visited on 1st Jan 2010 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 3
Richard13 visited on 1st Jul 2009 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 5 Access: 5
Woode visited on 21st Dec 2007 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 5
TheCaptain visited on 4th Oct 1998 Visit lots of ancient sites on a long off road cycle tour from Avebury to Windmill Hill, along the Wansdyke and back up Kennet Avenue
woodini254 visited on 29th Dec 1993 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 4 Access: 5
bat400 visited on 1st Oct 1987 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 4 Access: 4
coin visited - their rating: Cond: 5 Amb: 4 Access: 5 A great walk!
lucasn visited - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 4 Access: 5
neolithique02 Ogham Bladup DrewParsons PAB hamish h_fenton TimPrevett JimChampion Andy B AngieLake mdensham NickyD FrothNinja Wazza12 hevveh have visited here
Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 3.6 Ambience: 4.33 Access: 4.39
An occupation site pre-dating the West Kennet Avenue, Avebury, represented by a prolific artefact scatter, was identified during Keiller’s 1934 excavation of the northern third of the later Neolithic stone settings. In addition to characteristic tools such as chisel arrowheads, finely knapped scrapers, and serrated flakes, the predominantly Peterborough Ware pottery assemblage indicates that most of the material accumulated during the middle Neolithic (c. 3400–2900 bc).
Recent excavation by the Between the Monuments project (2013–15) extends understanding of the site including the nature of the artefact spread and various cut features (Refs: Keiller and Piggott 1936; Smith Reference; Smith 1965a; Gillings et al. 2015 - see the Katy Whitaker paper linked below in comments for full references).
There is possible male / female imagery in many of the stone shapes, and their arrangement in relation to one another is probably significant.
The avenue is featured on the Stone Rows of Great Britain website - see their entry for the West Kennet Avenue, which includes a description, a simplified plan of the West Kennet stone alignment, photographs, and access information.
The avenue is also recorded as Monument No. 220971 and scheduled as part of Historic England List ID 1015547 (West Kennet Avenue and an earthwork bank east of West Kennett Farm).
See also the National Trust webpage for the West Kennet Avenue (archive link).
‘Connoisseurs of Stone’ - a new paper from Dr Katy Whitaker examines non-megalithic uses of sarsen stone at the West Kennet Avenue occupation site, Windmill Hill and Marden Henge. The analysis demonstrates that 'everyday' sarsen could be just as meaning-laden as larger or more exotic material
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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
225m NNW 328° West Kennet Avenue polisher* Polissoir (SU10576947)
291m E 84° Falkner's Circle* Stone Circle (SU10986931)
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1.1km SE 128° Overton Hill barrow cemetery* Barrow Cemetery (SU11526863)
1.1km SSE 164° West Kennet Palisaded Enclosures* Ancient Village or Settlement (SU110682)
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1.6km S 187° West Kennett Long Barrow* Long Barrow (SU10506774)
1.7km W 270° South Street Long Barrow* Chambered Tomb (SU09006927)
1.7km SE 132° The Sanctuary Barrows* Barrow Cemetery (SU11966816)
1.7km SE 138° The Sanctuary.* Stone Circle (SU11836802)
1.7km N 5° Avebury Down Earthwork Misc. Earthwork (SU10837102)
1.8km NNE 18° Avebury Downs Barn Tumuli* Barrow Cemetery (SU1125170971)
1.8km W 271° Longstone Cove* Standing Stones (SU0888769301)
2.0km W 266° Longstones Barrow* Long Barrow (SU08706914)
2.1km NNE 20° Avebury Down Stone Circle* Stone Circle (SU11437127)
2.2km W 268° South of Penning Barn* Round Barrow(s) (SU08506921)
2.3km E 85° Down Barn* Standing Stones (SU12966949)
2.3km SSW 201° Beckhampton Penning circle* Stone Circle (SU09876713)
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