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<< Other Photo Pages >> West Woods Sarsen Stones - Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature in England in Wiltshire

Submitted by Andy B on Sunday, 02 August 2020  Page Views: 15113

Natural PlacesSite Name: West Woods Sarsen Stones
Country: England County: Wiltshire Type: Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature

Map Ref: SU145660  Landranger Map Number: 173
Latitude: 51.392856N  Longitude: 1.792987W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
 no data Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
 4 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
 3 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
 3

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West Woods Sarsen Stones
West Woods Sarsen Stones submitted by dodomad : A sarsen, like the ones at Stonehenge, in the West Woods, now known to be the origin of the prehistoric monument’s massive stone slabs. Photo Credit: Katy Whitaker, courtesy of Historic England / University of Reading. (Vote or comment on this photo)
Likely source of the sarsen stones of Stonehenge. West Woods lies within a concentration of Early Neolithic activity, being close to Avebury, numerous long barrows, and the causewayed enclosure at Knap Hill (see nearby sites list). Evidence of Mesolithic through Iron Age occupation has been recorded in the area, including a 40m-long Early Neolithic chambered long barrow, sarsen standing stones, a sarsen polissoir used to sharpen stone axes, and prehistoric fields where now-wooded ground was previously open, cultivated land.

Overlooking the Kennet Valley to the north, West Woods comprises a plateau rising to 220 m above sea level dissected by two narrow valleys. The area once contained a dense concentration of sarsens, including a sarsen train mapped by the Ordnance Survey as recently as 1924. Most of the stones were broken up and removed from the mid-19th century onward. However, many large boulders remain, both in valleys and on high ground, and sarsen extraction pits are common, particularly in the northern woodland.

Why, in a region with the greatest density of extant sarsen stones in Britain, West Woods was selected as the primary source for the Stonehenge sarsens is unclear. Its significance most likely derives from the size and quality of the stones present there, making the area an important location for Neolithic people. Its topographic position on high ground south of the Kennet and its relative proximity to Salisbury Plain would also have made it an efficient place from which to obtain the sarsens.

West Woods is located ~3 km south of the area where the majority of antiquaries and archaeologists have looked for Stonehenge’s sarsen quarries and, thus, lies slightly closer to the monument at ~25 km in a direct line. Only the antiquary John Aubrey had previously postulated a link between “Overton Wood,” probably a former name of West Woods, and Stonehenge.

The sarsen samples used for analysis were collected from the western side of West Woods [I have placed our marker in that approx area for now - MegP Ed]. So a transporation route to Stonehenge from West Woods via Knap Hill could be appropriate. If stones were also sourced from the eastern part of West woods, then an alternative route might run 2 km to the east, along what is now the White Horse Trail, dropping down to the Vale of Pewsey, and then along the River Avon close to Hill’s proposed route.

Source: Origins of the sarsen megaliths at Stonehenge paper - see links below for full citation

Note: Multidisciplinary analysis of the sarsen stones at Stonehenge and samples from 20 sites across Southern England confirm the vast majority of the sarsen stones came from West Woods on the Marlborough Downs, 25km north of Stonehenge. Our page shows the approximate location, and find more details in the comments
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West Woods Sarsen Stones
West Woods Sarsen Stones submitted by Humbucker : Moss covered sarsen stones under the trees in West Woods (Vote or comment on this photo)

West Woods Sarsen Stones
West Woods Sarsen Stones submitted by Humbucker : Some of the large sarsen stones in West Woods. (Vote or comment on this photo)

West Woods Sarsen Stones
West Woods Sarsen Stones submitted by Humbucker : Sarsen stone in West Woods broken up ready to be removed for building purposes but now abandoned. (Vote or comment on this photo)

West Woods Sarsen Stones
West Woods Sarsen Stones submitted by Humbucker : Many sarsens were removed for building purposes years ago. Some stones still sit today in their excavation pits awaiting removal. (Vote or comment on this photo)

West Woods Sarsen Stones
West Woods Sarsen Stones submitted by Creative Commons : Fig. 3 from the sarsen paper. Zr-normalized immobile trace element ratio data for 20 sarsen localities across southern Britain and the Phillips’ Core from Stone 58 at Stonehenge. Data ranges for each of the sarsen localities are indicated by the pink shaded region on each plot. The upper boundary for each area is defined by the maximum Zr-normalized ratio calculated for each element plus 3 S... (Vote or comment on this photo)

West Woods Sarsen Stones
West Woods Sarsen Stones submitted by Creative Commons : Detail of the main Stonehenge monument showing the remaining bluestones and numbered sarsen stones. Creative Commons Image

West Woods Sarsen Stones
West Woods Sarsen Stones submitted by Creative Commons : Fig. 1 from the sarsen paper: Stonehenge in context. (A) Distribution of silcrete boulders across southern Britain, including sarsens and conglomeratic variants known as puddingstone [data from (16, 22, 28, 46, 47)]. (B) Sampling sites and topography in the Stonehenge-Avebury area [areas in pale gray at 100 to 175 m above sea level (asl), and those in dark gray at 175 to 270 m asl], along wit...

West Woods Sarsen Stones
West Woods Sarsen Stones submitted by dodomad : Geologist Jake Ciborowski of the University of Brighton uses an x-ray spectrometer to analyuse the makeup of one of the sarsen stones at Stonehenge. Analysis indicates that 50 out of the 52 sarsens have pretty much the same chemical makeup. Photo Credit: David Nash / University of Brighton

West Woods Sarsen Stones
West Woods Sarsen Stones submitted by dodomad : David Nash examines the core from Stonehenge. An employee of the company who drilled Stonehenge in 1958, Robert Phillips retained one of these three cores. First giving it pride of place on display in his office, but later taking it with him to the US when he emigrated there. When he turned 90 he decided to return the stone core to English Heritage. Photo Credit: Sam Frost / English Heritag...

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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 465m NE 35° West Woods Polissoir No.1* Polissoir (SU1476966380)
 760m ENE 71° West Woods (Hursley Bottom) Standing Stone* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SU15226625)
 1.2km ESE 108° West Woods Long Barrow* Long Barrow (SU15676563)
 1.3km N 351° Lockeridge Grey Wethers* Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature (SU143673)
 1.8km NNW 334° West Overton Bowl Barrow Round Barrow(s) (SU13736758)
 1.9km ESE 113° West Woods Standing Stone* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SU16246528)
 2.0km WSW 246° Wansdyke* Misc. Earthwork (SU127652)
 2.2km SSW 196° Gopher Wood Barrows Barrow Cemetery (SU139639)
 2.6km N 352° Piggle Dene* Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature (SU14126858)
 2.7km W 265° Langdean Bottom* Stone Circle (SU11806574)
 2.7km WNW 296° East Kennett garden feature* Modern Stone Circle etc (SU12066720)
 3.0km NNE 33° Broadstones* Stone Circle (SU161685)
 3.0km WNW 287° East Kennett longbarrow* Long Barrow (SU11636684)
 3.2km W 277° Harestone Down* Stone Circle (SU113664)
 3.3km NW 311° The Sanctuary Barrows* Barrow Cemetery (SU11966816)
 3.3km NW 307° The Sanctuary.* Stone Circle (SU11836802)
 3.4km W 271° Harestone Down Tumulus* Round Barrow(s) (SU1111766058)
 3.4km SW 225° Knap Hill* Causewayed Enclosure (SU121636)
 3.4km NNE 28° Broad Stones (Clatford) Stone Circle (SU16096900)
 3.4km SW 226° Knap Hill Bowl Barrow 1* Round Barrow(s) (SU12056362)
 3.5km SE 143° Giant's Grave (Oare)* Promontory Fort / Cliff Castle (SU16636324)
 3.5km SW 226° Knap Hill Bowl Barrow 2 Round Barrow(s) (SU11976358)
 3.5km SW 236° New Town Tumuli Round Barrow(s) (SU11596403)
 3.7km NNE 33° Manton Round Barrow* Round Barrow(s) (SU165691)
 3.7km N 11° Devils Den* Burial Chamber or Dolmen (SU1521169654)
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"West Woods Sarsen Stones" | Login/Create an Account | 9 News and Comments
  
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A walk through West Woods’ past: forgotten historic landscape, Sat 23rd July 2022 by Andy B on Monday, 18 July 2022
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Only 4 places left for this walk so I'm not putting it on the front page, I'm planning on going...

A walk through West Woods’ past: forgotten historic landscape
A guided walk through the important heritage hidden away in West Woods near Marlborough. Join leading expert, Katy Whitaker, for a tour around the sites amazing past, from Neolithic burial mounts to Saxon kingdom boundaries. The walk will also explore the role of sarsen quarrying in the area and how it is linked to Stonehenge.

Wear clothing suitable for the weather and sturdy footwear. We also recommend wearing waterproof clothing and layers in case of poor weather, and bringing drinking water.

Sat, 23 Jul 4:00 PM Duration of event: 2 hours

https://www.archaeologyuk.org/festival/festival-event-listing/a-walk-through-west-woods-past-forgotten-historic-landscape.html
[ Reply to This ]

Stonehenge: how we revealed the original source of the biggest stones by Andy B on Friday, 31 July 2020
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By David Nash and Timothy Darvill

Stonehenge, an icon of European prehistory that attracts more than a million visitors a year, is rarely out of the news. Yet, surprisingly, there is much we don’t know about it. Finding the sources of the stones used to build the monument is a fundamental question that has vexed antiquaries and archaeologists for over four centuries.

Our interdisciplinary team, including researchers from four UK universities (Brighton, Bournemouth, Reading and UCL) and English Heritage, has used a novel geochemical approach to examine the large “sarsen” stones at Stonehenge. Our results confirm that the nearby Marlborough Downs were the source region for the sarsens, but also pinpoint a specific area as the most likely place from where the stones were obtained.

https://theconversation.com/stonehenge-how-we-revealed-the-original-source-of-the-biggest-stones-143564
[ Reply to This ]
    Re: Stonehenge: how we revealed the original source of the biggest stones by bdriley on Monday, 03 August 2020
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    Not convinced that the evidence you have produced is sound. 100 years ago most experts claimed the sarsens came from the immediate vicinity of Stonehenge. The tallest stone there is nearly 30 ft long. Would not the builders of Avebury have taken it for their own monument if it had been there?
    Just assuming that they did come from West Woods which is some 15 miles as the crow flies but any credible route would have been nearly twice as far over very challenging terrain. Could they really have been transported to Stonehenge in any credible time frame with only primitive technology.
    Of course you could prove me wrong by having a 40 ton concrete replica hauled to Stonehenge using ropes and rollers and the more well-built of your students. Good luck with that one ! I am 74 so I doubt if I would see its arrival.
    A recent attempt to transport a mere 4 ton blue stone replica ended in disaster after a few miles. On the other hand if your evidence proves to be conclusive, if may be of interest to Erich von Daniken or Graham Hancock




    [ Reply to This ]

Stonehenge Sarsens sourced from West Wood by Andy B on Thursday, 30 July 2020
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Here's the paper: Origins of the sarsen megaliths at Stonehenge - David J. Nash, T. Jake R. Ciborowski, J. Stewart Ullyott, Mike Parker Pearson, Timothy Darvill, Susan Greaney, Georgios Maniatis and Katy A. Whitaker
Science Advances 29 Jul 2020:
https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/31/eabc0133

and Supplementary materials which are also worth looking at
https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/suppl/2020/07/27/6.31.eabc0133.DC1

Thread for further thoughts on this and various bits from Twitter:
https://www.megalithic.co.uk/modules.php?op=modload&name=Forum&file=viewtopic&topic=8377&forum=1&start=0


[ Reply to This ]

Archaeologists discover likely source of Stonehenge's giant sarsen stones by Andy B on Thursday, 30 July 2020
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Today West Woods in Wiltshire is a popular spot for hikers, dog walkers and mountain bikers, famed for its bluebells in the springtime. Stick to the footpaths and it is easy to miss the hefty flat stones hidden in the undergrowth.

But groundbreaking scientific research published on Wednesday reveals that, 4,500 years ago, this spot – and in particular those hulking sandstone boulders - drew the ancient architects of Stonehenge.

More in The Guardian
[ Reply to This ]

Re: West Woods [August 2003] by tjhavenith on Saturday, 23 June 2018
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In 2011 the Wiltshire Archeaological Field Group surveyed West Woods:

"The project to survey West Woods, Wiltshire, for archaeological features, began in February 2007. There are two strands of research, the first to identify archaeological features within the woodland and to be able to model land use; the second strand aims to trial and evaluate various methods of surveying woodlands for archaeological remains.
The survey has identified a large number of archaeological features in all parts of the wood."

The report is split into 3 PDFs, all of which can be downloaded here:
https://wiltshireafg.weebly.com/west-woods-earthwork-survey-2011.html
[ Reply to This ]

Re: West Woods [August 2003] by Anonymous on Tuesday, 26 August 2003
Visited West Woods barrow on 14/08/03. Mound of barrow totally overgrown with vegetation, very little to see, otherwise.

Noticed several isolated sarsens, near the East Kennet side of entrance to the wood, on either side of the track. Wondered if they may have served as neolithic marker stones?

Has anybody else found sarsens in this wood, please?

Rick
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