tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81224122641395669732024-02-20T01:53:18.323+00:00Avebury MattersIntroducing modern and antiquarian writings on Avebury and its environs.
Examining conservation and related issues for this World Heritage Site
Together with recommendations on accommodation, pubs,
restaurants, walks and other places of interest within the Avebury areaLittlestonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230602842890742843noreply@blogger.comBlogger125125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122412264139566973.post-84183546173283171892012-10-16T16:41:00.000+01:002012-10-16T16:42:23.567+01:00Avebury Barn Gallery in need of restoration funding<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6T46KsMC98F_McF778VxwYmOD_ivKIh2fPFQbF9AnG2aHe3ngU37brm9SV0pto1l7QUNDAzUrNaNPWEr1P-fxICMM89Ww_bBPwAMyLwDuPkT0wM_9nfNpxI1FXHiG3oCZpduK9Hgki4c/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6T46KsMC98F_McF778VxwYmOD_ivKIh2fPFQbF9AnG2aHe3ngU37brm9SV0pto1l7QUNDAzUrNaNPWEr1P-fxICMM89Ww_bBPwAMyLwDuPkT0wM_9nfNpxI1FXHiG3oCZpduK9Hgki4c/s320/004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Avebury Barn Gallery</div>
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This lovely 17th century thresher barn, at the heart of Avebury, is also a museum housing a selection of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Keiller">Alexander Keiller’s</a> finds, along with interactive displays and activities which bring the history and landscape of the area to life. The Barn Gallery however is now in desperate need of a new thatch roof, and some £80,000 will have to be found before work can commence.</div>
Littlestonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230602842890742843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122412264139566973.post-82170121169944429242012-07-31T12:12:00.003+01:002012-07-31T12:18:02.243+01:00<div style="text-align: justify;">
Nigel Kerton writing in the<strong> The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald</strong> today reports that -</div>
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"People who live in Avebury or who visit the village and would like to have a say about the way the village famous for its stone circles and Silbury Hill is managed, will be given an opportunity when the World Heritage Site Management Plan is updated. World Heritage Site officer Sarah Simmons said it was vitally important that those with an interest in the village were involved in revising the last management plan created in 2005.</div>
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"There will be two opportunities for the public to put forward their ideas and suggestions, at the Avebury Social centre next Tuesday. Ms Simmonds will be available to answer questions and listen to ideas at drop in sessions in the Social Centre on Avebury High Street next Tuesday between 2 -7 pm and in Marlborough Library on Monday, August 13, between 2 -7pm."</div>
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More <a href="http://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/9846872.Share_your_views_on_future_management_of_Avebury_World_Heritage_site/">here</a>.</div>
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/99203700/32-Modern-Avebury-R-Hutton">Modern Avebury</a> by Ronald Hutton. 32 in the Stonehenge and Avebury Revised Research Framework (SARRF) by <a href="http://www.scribd.com/wessexarchaeology">Wessex Archaeology</a>.</div>
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<em>The Stonehenge and Avebury Revised Research Framework (SARRF) will for the first time provide a united historic environment research agenda and strategy for the Avebury and Stonehenge World Heritage Site (WHS). The two parts of the WHS currently have separate research frameworks that were created at different times and in different formats. The SARRF will update and harmonise the existing frameworks to create a single research framework comprising a resource assessment and a single research strategy with a five-year currency. The SARRF will also develop a method of monitoring the progress of the strategy to facilitate its revision.</em></div>
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Professor Hutton writes -</div>
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"Between 1841 and 1871 the population of the [Avebury] settlement virtually doubled, so that it pressed even harder on the ancient remains. Small wonder that visiting antiquarians began to refer to the village as a whole with resentment and concern, Joseph Hunter calling it a ‘vile hamlet’ in 1829 and Sir John Lubbock a ‘beautiful parasite’ in 1865... [Lubbock in 1872] ...when land containing some of the remaining stones was offered for sale as a potential housing development... bought some himself to block development..."</div>Littlestonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230602842890742843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122412264139566973.post-52040557252409478312012-05-31T08:55:00.006+01:002012-05-31T08:55:59.313+01:002012 Summer Solstice Observance<div style="text-align: justify;">
The National Trust has announced that -</div>
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<em>The summer Solstice observance at Avebury is expected to be very busy and there will be limited car parking as a result. From Wednesday 20 June until mid-afternoon on Friday 22 June there will be a temporary campsite alongside the car park opening at 9am on Wednesday 20 June and closing at 2pm on Friday 22 June.</em></div>
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<em>There'll be less than one hundred tent spaces, allocated on a first come first served basis. They are expected to be in high demand. There'll be no camping available on the weekends either side of the Solstice.</em></div>
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More <a href="http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/avebury/page-1/">here</a>.</div>Littlestonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230602842890742843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122412264139566973.post-78562529408433028432012-05-28T14:25:00.004+01:002012-05-28T14:27:27.477+01:00Julian Richards to lead series of walks around the World Heritage site of Avebury<div style="text-align: justify;">
Lewis Cowen writing in the <strong>The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald</strong> today reports that -</div>
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<em>TV archaeologist Julian Richards is to lead a series of walks around the World Heritage site of Avebury this summer and autumn. Dr Richards, who presented BBC’s Meet the Ancestors, is a noted expert on the archaeology of Avebury and Stonehenge and will be leading the Wessex Walks on Wednesday, June 6, Saturday, September 1, and Sunday, October 21. </em></div>
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<em>The Wessex Walks are part of a programme of study days running at museums, galleries and sites all over Britain throughout 2012.</em></div>
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More <a href="http://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/9730600.TV_archaeologist_Julian_Richards_to_lead_walks_around_Avebury/">here</a>.</div>Littlestonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230602842890742843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122412264139566973.post-25402842029799506102012-02-07T13:23:00.003+00:002012-02-07T13:29:03.035+00:00Avebury and Stonehenge celebrations for World Heritage Day<div align="justify">Jill Harding writing in <a href="http://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/9515044.Celebrations_for_World_Heritage_Day/">The Salisbury Journal</a> yesterday reports yesterday that -<br /><br /><em>A CELEBRATION of World Heritage Day is set to take place at </em><a href="http://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/search/?search=stonehenge%2C+stone+circle%2C+heritage"><em>Stonehenge</em></a><em> and Avebury in April. People are being invited to join English Heritage experts and discover the prehistoric landscapes and how World Heritage Site status is helping to conserve them. The event, being held between 10am and 6pm on April 18, is also a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention. Tickets cost £35 per person and must be booked in advance.<br /></em><br />Contact English Heritage customer services on 0870 333 1181 for more information and to reserve a place.</div><br /><div align="justify">More on UNESCO’s 2012 <strong>World Heritage Convention</strong> <a href="http://theheritagetrust.wordpress.com/2012/02/07/40th-anniversary-of-the-unesco-world-heritage-convention/">here</a>.</div>Littlestonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230602842890742843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122412264139566973.post-63324548874367863142012-01-19T11:42:00.013+00:002012-01-25T18:37:02.785+00:00Barefoot at the Barge?<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj0JB4rOthWxrCSxBb30zvSI0-qTLJ-F8nHkOnsweJbmvA7z_0k3o_7JHtGUe81zspW5Cf9kqT2uZ3rK79cizWjjFbFBVcZEgA_teEFEfwFmDeC3ntFWiNz3-r1CtiYmHc594AU-KKM2s/s1600/385074_124065374379619_100003284709773_120527_1912263548_n.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 174px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699307741115934722" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj0JB4rOthWxrCSxBb30zvSI0-qTLJ-F8nHkOnsweJbmvA7z_0k3o_7JHtGUe81zspW5Cf9kqT2uZ3rK79cizWjjFbFBVcZEgA_teEFEfwFmDeC3ntFWiNz3-r1CtiYmHc594AU-KKM2s/s400/385074_124065374379619_100003284709773_120527_1912263548_n.jpg" /></a>Designed by <a href="http://mathewson.squarespace.com/listed-buildings/">Mathewson Waters Architects</a> and built by the award winning <a style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #cfe2e5 1px solid" href="http://www.greenoakcarpentry.co.uk/">Green Oak Carpentry Company </a></div><br /><br /><br /><div align="justify">Visitors to the Avebury World Heritage Site this year may be able to take advantage of the new arts venue at the <a style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #cfe2e5 1px solid" href="http://aveburymatters.blogspot.com/2008/11/accommodation-barge-inn.html">Barge Inn</a>, Honeystreet, Alton Barnes.<br /><br /><em>2012 will mark another milestone in the pub’s 200 year history. Honeystreet Ales are undertaking a major transformation of the old barn site, constructing a beautiful new visual and performing arts space, ‘The Barefoot’, right next to the Barge Inn. Designed by Mathewson Waters Architects and built by the award winning Green Oak Carpentry Company, construction starts in March. The £250,000 project, funded by Honeystreet Ales, will provide an exciting and inspirational new arts space.<br /></em><br />The Barge Inn is situated alongside the Kennet and Avon Canal and within walking distance of the Anglo-Saxon church at Alton Barnes and the Norman church (with its ancient yew tree and other pagan associations) at Alton Priors. Avebury, Silbury and West Kennet Long Barrow are some 15 minutes drive away.</div>Littlestonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230602842890742843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122412264139566973.post-50887646106987212742011-12-11T20:48:00.005+00:002011-12-11T20:53:46.831+00:00From an inner darkness to a thin mist…<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimvw6zYQWTPhx4m1AcoPkjDZa2r_FRmHEwrl1CS04LBvwgsPn0atWTFpPWetuV0WzRkkrxmljesfqYiNPEAckCKpEvp9T2OeRXLF_cAR5JJJSgy8ZivJc2ex7pCTvum3iZDhXnv7nfhNc/s1600/John+Aubrey+%25281626-1697%2529.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 367px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5684975848339651954" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimvw6zYQWTPhx4m1AcoPkjDZa2r_FRmHEwrl1CS04LBvwgsPn0atWTFpPWetuV0WzRkkrxmljesfqYiNPEAckCKpEvp9T2OeRXLF_cAR5JJJSgy8ZivJc2ex7pCTvum3iZDhXnv7nfhNc/s400/John+Aubrey+%25281626-1697%2529.jpg" /></a>John Aubrey (1626-1697)</div><br /><div align="justify">John Aubrey may have been described by his friends as, "Shiftless, roving and magotie-headed..." but he was among the first to examine and record Stonehenge, Avebury and other megalithic structures with any degree of accuracy. Writing about Avebury and Stonehenge Aubrey says, "I have brought (them) from an inner darkness to a thin mist."<br /><br />There will be a lecture by Professor Michael Hunter FBA (author of John Aubrey and the World of Learning) and recently retired Professor of History at Birkbeck, University of London at the Wiltshire Heritage Museum in Devizes, Wiltshire from 2:30pm on Saturday, 24 March 2012.<br /><br />More <a href="http://www.wiltshireheritage.org.uk/events/index.php?Action=2&thID=706&prev=1">here</a>.</div>Littlestonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230602842890742843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122412264139566973.post-16928700989608983022011-11-28T16:36:00.001+00:002011-11-28T16:38:38.261+00:00Landscape with Stones: Paintings and woodcuts by Nick Schlee<div align="justify"><em>An exhibition of oil paintings and woodcuts by British landscape artist Nick Schlee, focusing on Avebury and the Ridgeway. This new exhibition features some of Nick Schlee's most bold and vivid work portraying the ancient monument of Avebury and the nearby Ridgeway. 80 year old Nick says of the exhibition -<br /><br /></em>“More than half of the pictures in the exhibition feature those mysterious ancient stones that mean little to most of us, but must have meant a great deal to our forebears.<br /><br />“Painting them, without being able to share the feelings they engendered for the people who erected them, is a problem. I can only describe their outside appearance. The spirit within is closed to me. It is as if I were recording the skin of a peach without any idea of its taste, its texture and delicious succulence.”<br /><br />Venue: The Wiltshire Heritage Museum, Devizes from Saturday, 14 January to Sunday, 2 September 2012.<br /><br />More <a href="http://www.wiltshireheritage.org.uk/events/index.php?Action=2&thID=692&prev=1">here</a>.</div>Littlestonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230602842890742843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122412264139566973.post-4440359923177049422011-11-11T08:53:00.004+00:002011-11-11T11:27:22.295+00:00Avebury: An illustrated talk<div align="justify">On Monday, 14 November Dr Ros Cleal (or Dr Nicola Snashall) will be giving an illustrated talk on Avebury.</div><br /><div align="justify">Organised by Newbury National Trust and held at St Bartholomew’s School from 7:30pm. Visitors £3. Telephone 01635 551034 for further information.</div>Littlestonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230602842890742843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122412264139566973.post-24416533544466273642011-11-04T18:18:00.008+00:002011-11-04T18:30:59.478+00:00Prehistoric Wiltshire: An Illustrated Guide and talk by Bob Clarke<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSdIrV_qOj8uH7TGHSZAckszxcDINyZR_ATM2Ctd0OWZS0aO4UsawSoAk-iYuKBPkD27GPY47BBeuCFiiY0M2kfuzwJK1WrP34YmsiwgKreGTdiG66gJaakAlHM9oGvJpsSQhTpUC-I-c/s1600/943126968691.png"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 282px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671207171635968578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSdIrV_qOj8uH7TGHSZAckszxcDINyZR_ATM2Ctd0OWZS0aO4UsawSoAk-iYuKBPkD27GPY47BBeuCFiiY0M2kfuzwJK1WrP34YmsiwgKreGTdiG66gJaakAlHM9oGvJpsSQhTpUC-I-c/s400/943126968691.png" /></a><strong>Prehistoric Wiltshire</strong>: An Illustrated Guide by Bob Clarke. Foreword by Francis Pryor<br /><br /><div align="justify"><em>Wiltshire contains some of the most important archaeological sites in Britain and its Prehistoric remains range from the splendour of Stonehenge to the awesome Avebury stone circle, with Silbury Hill and the Kennet Long Barrow being other noted megalithic monuments in the county.<br /><br />Among these important sites are also found smaller, perhaps lesser known monuments to the Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages, including the cursus barrow cemetery at Fargo Plantation and Woodhenge.<br /><br />Bob Clarke, author of numerous books on military archaeology and history, takes us on a tour of the prehistoric sites in this archaeologically rich county, using aerial photography and outstanding images, which accompany the informative text and diagrams.<br /><br /></em>Amberley Publishing. ISBN 9781848688773. Paperback. 128 pages. b&w and colour illustrations throughout.<br /><br />Bob Clarke will also be talking about his book this Sunday (6 November) at the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WiltshireHeritageMuseum">Wiltshire Heritage Museum</a>. The talk will be followed by a book signing. Venue: Sunday 6 November, 2:30 - 4:30. Entrance fee £3 which includes tea/coffee and cakes.</div></div>Littlestonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230602842890742843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122412264139566973.post-31716538490696988112011-08-06T11:15:00.002+01:002011-08-06T11:20:02.626+01:00Avebury - Graphic Novel<div align="justify"><a href="http://www.behance.net/gallery/Avebury-Graphic-Novel/1827509">Avebury - Graphic Novel</a>: <em>A short novel about the mysterious village of Avebury by Tom Manning</em>.<br /><br /><em>This is a university project that was given out in order to induct us into the second year of the Illustration course. The theme of the project was that it should be based in the strange village of Avebury, north of Stonehenge, UK. Avebury is a very mysterious and ‘weird’ place filled with standing stones, deep trenches, rampaging druids and man made hills, theres no knowing what you might find there. WIth this in my mind I planned to introduce Avebury as an isolated, desolate area of wilderness, not unlike ‘the Zone’ in the 1979 Russian film ‘STALKER’</em>.<br /><br />Tom Manning.</div>Littlestonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230602842890742843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122412264139566973.post-16796737586076601562011-08-05T07:04:00.011+01:002011-08-05T08:10:49.260+01:00To The Manor Reborn<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO64u35sYafoJ2kWUGDAVNwnal7mKvku6djYn0mxT4s9gsmOGTJJ7NkTTz1W3VH9H9SyA0BaVgGZqYDG7QQV-qBPzP1gJBsVaEPndl6CHlVeT1Aomr-AnZdj6OcePV1ZReZISFhi4DqJw/s1600/003.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637249082289294482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO64u35sYafoJ2kWUGDAVNwnal7mKvku6djYn0mxT4s9gsmOGTJJ7NkTTz1W3VH9H9SyA0BaVgGZqYDG7QQV-qBPzP1gJBsVaEPndl6CHlVeT1Aomr-AnZdj6OcePV1ZReZISFhi4DqJw/s400/003.JPG" /></a>Avebury Manor</div><br /><div align="justify"></div><br /><div align="justify">A BBC1 series will feature experts transforming the 16th century National Trust property, Avebury Manor, to some of its former glory. A spokeswoman for the BBC said, “The series will see a team of experts working together to bring Avebury Manor historic house back to life by transforming its rooms into different periods of history.”<br /><br />The four, hour-long episodes, start in November and will be presented by Penelope Keith, star of the TV sitcom, <strong>To The Manor Born</strong>.</div>Littlestonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230602842890742843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122412264139566973.post-79505344826433108612011-06-16T16:50:00.000+01:002011-06-16T16:52:10.990+01:00Summer Solstice 20 - 22 June 2011<div align="justify">"The summer solstice observance at Avebury is expected to be very busy and there will be limited car parking as a result.<br /><br />"From Monday 20 June until mid afternoon on Wednesday 22 June there will be a temporary campsite alongside the car park, opening at 9am on Monday 20 June and closing at 2pm on Wednesday 22 June. There will only be 93 tent spaces, allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. They are expected to be in high demand."<br /><br />More here - <a href="http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-avebury/w-avebury-parking.htm">http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-avebury/w-avebury-parking.htm</a> </div>Littlestonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230602842890742843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122412264139566973.post-53899824639099096052011-06-03T13:40:00.033+01:002011-06-06T11:33:06.399+01:00Avebury walks III: The West Kennet Avenue<div align="justify">As with Walk I and Walk II below, if you’re arriving in Avebury by coach or car you’ll probably get off in the main car park and then walk along the path to Avebury High Street. Once there, turn right and walk to the south-east quadrant (opposite the Red Lion Pub). Enter the quadrant and walk as far south as you can within it, and then out of the quadrant and onto the road. Straight ahead of you, on the other side of the road out of Avebury towards Beckhampton, are the first stones that make up the West Kennet Avenue; this Avenue of standing stones once wound its way up to the Sanctuary from Avebury.<br /></div><br /><p align="center"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 268px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613973936407620482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVCORXoosdwKchY-WQ-O-g3vyKU28ovtfwxrZy7FANN4lJ6j8l-SAmLjEaLEj28ZHBYXVNMZZWeHCOedFTrnwQUJJK6q7BrbDUQiyO-fxn1jBs9BkxYO4_7rr-bCgzRIiXifn_7lZZHeU/s400/avebury+210.jpg" /> West Kennet Avenue looking towards the Sanctuary<br />Image credit Moss</p><p align="justify">The walk to the bottom of the Avenue and back will take less than an hour but, time permitting, at the south end there are two options you can take. Option one is to follow the signpost that points east towards Falkner’s Circle. This circle once consisted of twelve stones, although sadly only one stone now remains.</p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613973537618653330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xfXpgUUy5VgpV6gUP4UjK7Z-PYl9_lUyCetz9900YD42X5-WrNslZiBPfxidqiAGH4V0Y5xgOTHR2ZpG3iRboVIXor9-Eaaqz30z_kSBwTotlYMOQ3EtLtI_qAAenwV4K4TCnqIZb9I/s400/pc305677.jpg" /><p align="center">The single surviving stone of Falkner’s Circle © Alan S</p><p align="justify">The walk to Falkner’s Circle and back will add another 30 minutes or so to the walk from the bottom of the West Kennet Avenue. Option two however involves walking in the opposite direction from Falkener’s Circle up Waden Hill (the name Waden is derived from Woden) and will reward you with one of the most spectacular (and unexpected) views of Silbury that there is. From the top of Waden Hill look slightly to the left of Silbury – West Kennet Long barrow should just about be visible.</p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 292px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613973059076291410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-uk7BlX-nqS8TI3rS7R9RezLHDJYgSCz2n382hyUST1db8uOAFxewBLEol2Dd0QW5LLQSgKtWTnqyBf1SLiZfxwAbDxrdkyjm1Q_27FJZGw6MqOg2aXK5s93sAZyWLvscJffdLMM73-s/s400/DSCN0066B.jpg" /><p align="center">Silbury from the top of Waden Hill.<br />Image credit Moss</p><p align="justify">The walk from the bottom of the West Kennet Avenue to the top of Waden Hill and back again will take about 45 minuets. Walk IV in this series will suggest another walk, from the top of Waden Hill back to the main car park, rather than retracing your steps down the hill and along the West Kennet Avenue again.<br /><br />See also <a href="http://aveburymatters.blogspot.com/2011/03/footprints-through-avebury-by-mike.html">Footprints through Avebury</a> by Mike Pitts.</p>Littlestonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230602842890742843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122412264139566973.post-6907862688962933792011-04-03T15:37:00.002+01:002011-04-03T15:39:53.290+01:00Landscapes of Thomas Hardy's Wessex<div align="justify">“An exhibition of works by Rob Pountney, Dave Gunning and David Inshaw depicting the spectacular landscapes and ancient archaeological sites that feature in the novels and poems of Thomas Hardy. </div><br /><div align="justify">“These contemporary artistic representations of Hardy’s fictionalized ‘Wessex’ are highly evocative, focusing attention on the physical and atmospheric qualities of the landscape, in much the same way that Hardy used prose to generate melodrama and set the scene in his work.” The exhibition is on show in the Wiltshire Heritage Museum's Art Gallery from Saturday, 28 May until Monday, 29 August 2011. More here -</div><a href="http://www.wiltshireheritage.org.uk/events/index.php?Action=2&thID=631&prev=1">http://www.wiltshireheritage.org.uk/events/index.php?Action=2&thID=631&prev=1</a>Littlestonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230602842890742843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122412264139566973.post-68904476510426084612011-03-30T13:02:00.006+01:002011-03-30T13:07:23.697+01:00Award to Wiltshire Heritage Museum<div align="justify">Writing in the <strong>The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald</strong> yesterday, Lewis Cowen reports that, "The Wiltshire Heritage Museum in Devizes has been awarded £58,200 to work on plans to create new Bronze Age galleries. The money has come from the Heritage Lottery Fund and now the museum will progress to the second stage of the HLF application process. The project will cost more than £200,000 and the museum, in Long Street, will have to contribute between £20,000 and £30,000. The new galleries will feature the rich finds from burials in the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site. The project will feature the unique gold and amber finds that define the Bronze Age Wessex culture and are currently locked away in the museum's vaults. The most famous of these are the 4,000-year-old finds from Bush Barrow, including a gold lozenge, belt hook, stone mace and richly decorated bronze dagger. The new displays will also include objects excavated from Upton Lovell and Manton as well as recent finds from Marden Henge, near Devizes."</div><br /><div align="justify">More here -</div><br /><div align="justify"><a href="http://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/8938471.__58_000_bronze_age_windfall_for_Wiltshire_museum/">http://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/8938471.__58_000_bronze_age_windfall_for_Wiltshire_museum/</a> and here - <a href="http://heritageaction.wordpress.com/2011/03/30/good-or-bad-news-for-wiltshire-heritage-museum/">http://heritageaction.wordpress.com/2011/03/30/good-or-bad-news-for-wiltshire-heritage-museum/</a> </div>Littlestonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230602842890742843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122412264139566973.post-5866101360955079672011-03-27T17:05:00.006+01:002011-03-27T17:14:45.627+01:00Footprints through Avebury by Mike Pitts<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1DCy20XbN9hyphenhyphen8guz44jVOAYKDApBzB3FFeyWYogpF7aqvoAg6BLRccfR3cgq0CPGz-BjT9h0L-hSULjTDzcCvDn8ND-rjzzL4SgYVH3KWcHk85KD3soMIX8F0iBVUnJkV39eO9rX6r4E/s1600/scan0001.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 280px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588791863668336626" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1DCy20XbN9hyphenhyphen8guz44jVOAYKDApBzB3FFeyWYogpF7aqvoAg6BLRccfR3cgq0CPGz-BjT9h0L-hSULjTDzcCvDn8ND-rjzzL4SgYVH3KWcHk85KD3soMIX8F0iBVUnJkV39eO9rX6r4E/s400/scan0001.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div align="justify"><strong>Footprints through Avebury</strong> was written and photographed by Mike Pitts. Mike, now editor of the British Archaeology Magazine, has excavated at both Stonehenge and Avebury, is the author of Hengeworld, and was, for five years, curator of the Alexander Keiller Museum at Avebury.</div><br /><div align="justify"><strong>Footprints through Avebury</strong> is a little book (only 65 pages) but one packed full with a wealth of information, maps, contact details and a timeline for Avebury and its environs. The timeline begins 5,500 years ago with the Windmill Hill settlement, through to the erection of the first megaliths at Avebury 4,600 years ago, the Roman settlement at Silbury 1,700 years ago, the purchase of Avebury by the National Trust in 1900, and ending in the year 2000 when visitors to this World Heritage Site topped a quarter of a million. As the name of the booklet suggests, however, it’s not just an introduction to Avebury but a well thought-out walking guide to places of interest in and around the village. There are five guides (Mike calls them Excursions) most with maps or diagrams, all with excellent photos or illustrations. A useful note at the beginning of the longer walks is the distance in kilometres and miles; the distance from Avebury to Windmill Hill for example is five and a half kilometres or three and half miles.</div><br /><div align="justify">With its easy-to-use guides and wealth of information <strong>Footprints through Avebury</strong> is a must-have for both the first-time and the seasoned visitor to the Avebury World Heritage Site. </div>Littlestonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230602842890742843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122412264139566973.post-51426162344425099142011-03-06T11:24:00.009+00:002011-03-08T13:38:13.443+00:00Avebury walks II: The Winterbourne and Windmill Hill<div align="justify">This walk has the advantage of offering two possibilities, both of which can be managed if you have three hours or so to spare, or in less than one hour if time is short. As with walk I below, if you’re arriving in Avebury by coach or car you’ll probably get off in the main car park and then walk along the path to Avebury High Street. Once there, turn left away from the Henge itself and walk down the High Street, past the church on your right and carry on down to the end of the road where you’ll take a sharp turn to the right and then to the left. The road has now become a footpath and, after ten minutes or so, will bring you to a little bridge which crosses over the Winterbourne stream. There’s a bench there where you can rest and, looking south across the meadows, be rewarded with one of the loveliest views of Silbury that there is.<br /><br /></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 330px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580927776822244658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSN7o1fQ_uEaoO4EnKUxs0yqurPg46Fs6LmYKCf-wwyrsecktw005xIReifRnn5ZOSXoKugzDTDHadx1e8jj4aWjEwMrl-yNld6HSR3IcCH5mOdqqixM1sby-JNcaHdZ8z-ki_oBCltyc/s400/HPIM0146A.jpg" /> <p align="center">Silbury from the Winterbourne</p><p align="justify">I’ve sat for long periods there just taking in the view and the sound of the Winterbourne when it’s in full flow (as the name suggests however the stream does not flow at all times throughout the year). You may decide that you want to stay there for as long as you can or, if you have time, walk on to Windmill Hill.<br /><br />There’s a signpost close to the bench indicating a route to Windmill Hill over the fields but my advice is to avoid this as the ground can often be waterlogged or occupied by cows or bullocks. Instead carry on up the lane until you reach the end and then turn right following the lane (then track) up the hill. The original settlement on Windmill Hill is thought to have been made some 5,500 years ago, making it one of the earliest known settlements in the Avebury area (the round barrows within the enclosure however date from the early Bronze Age). Take a moment to sit and imagine what it was like to live there thousands of years ago. If the weather is fine look southwards – you should be able to see Silbury in the distance.<br /><br />See also <strong>Footprints through Avebury</strong> by Mike Pitts. </p>Littlestonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230602842890742843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122412264139566973.post-27412250189054127832011-03-03T15:39:00.001+00:002011-03-03T15:41:09.942+00:00On this day William Stukeley died<div align="justify">“Stukeley was an English antiquary and one of the founders of field archaeology, who pioneered the investigation of Stonehenge.<br /><br />“William Stukeley was born at Holbeach in Lincolnshire, and studied medicine at Cambridge University. While still a student he began making topographical and architectural drawings as well as sketches of historical artefacts. He continued with this alongside his career as a doctor, and published the results of his travels around Britain in 'Itinerarium Curiosum' in 1724.”<br /><br />More here - <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/stukeley_william.shtml">http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/stukeley_william.shtml</a></div>Littlestonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230602842890742843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122412264139566973.post-12482360255483968602011-02-13T16:35:00.000+00:002011-02-13T16:36:47.290+00:00World Megameet. Sunday, 17 July 2011<strong>Heritage Action</strong> will be holding its 6th World Megameet this year on Sunday, the 17 July in Avebury.<br /><br />More here -<br /><a href="http://heritageaction.wordpress.com/2011/02/05/avebury-world-megameet-sunday-17-july-2011/">http://heritageaction.wordpress.com/2011/02/05/avebury-world-megameet-sunday-17-july-2011/</a>Littlestonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230602842890742843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122412264139566973.post-74248806485623032092011-02-12T05:02:00.004+00:002011-02-12T05:13:15.491+00:00Avebury Landscape Photography Workshop<div align="justify">The National Trust will be holding an <strong>Avebury Landscape Photography Workshop</strong> on Saturday, 26 March 2011.</div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><br />“Professional photographer Mark Philpott will help you look at landscapes in an exciting new way. Learn how to get the best from your camera and be inspired by the Avebury landscape, its stone circle, cosy cottages, fine church and ancient trees.”<br /><br />More here -</div><div align="justify"><a href="http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/event-search-2/events/show?id=2108046427&direct=1">http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/event-search-2/events/show?id=2108046427&direct=1</a></div>Littlestonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230602842890742843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122412264139566973.post-59661783800870753372011-01-10T18:46:00.001+00:002011-01-10T18:53:52.351+00:00Fyfield Down: Geology and Landscape walk<div align="justify">This an opportunity to learn more about Fyfield Down (Site of Special Scientific Interest) with Peter Keene, formerly senior lecturer in geomorpology at Oxford Brooks University.<br /><br />“The ability to ‘read’ landscapes or to have ‘an eye for the country’ adds a new dimension to our appreciation of our surroundings. On this walk, from Avebury via Overton Down to Clatford Bottom across the Fyfield SSSI we shall learn through discussion and investigation of the evidence that is observable in the field how the landscape, with its layers of chalk, sarsen rocks, streams and dry valleys, evolved in this part of the Marlborough Downs.”<br /><br />The walk begins in Avebury at 10:30am on Saturday, 16 July 2011. More here – <a href="http://www.wiltshireheritage.org.uk/events/index.php?Action=2&thID=607&prev=1">http://www.wiltshireheritage.org.uk/events/index.php?Action=2&thID=607&prev=1</a></div>Littlestonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230602842890742843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122412264139566973.post-31594744518068216022011-01-08T09:20:00.003+00:002011-01-08T09:26:29.767+00:00On This Deity. The re-discovery of Avebury<div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3zRQ15EhM1J1TgBv80cMqBARMREpLJKl7x5A4XDjKi0ZklPgEhXiSkHutpLyK2IgdAM0GqYPbLeC8KwobziXIye1uJWdR2hjgJI2kPNw8hNGKqRN316D6Zb4UPbEke7C6lcs0Dj5dGAM/s1600/Avebury+by+John+Aubrey+2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 317px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559743252984937266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3zRQ15EhM1J1TgBv80cMqBARMREpLJKl7x5A4XDjKi0ZklPgEhXiSkHutpLyK2IgdAM0GqYPbLeC8KwobziXIye1uJWdR2hjgJI2kPNw8hNGKqRN316D6Zb4UPbEke7C6lcs0Dj5dGAM/s400/Avebury+by+John+Aubrey+2.jpg" /></a><br /><div align="center">Avebury by John Aubrey</div><div align="justify"><br />“Today, <em>[7 January]</em> we must celebrate John Aubrey’s dramatic rediscovery of Avebury – the world’s largest prehistoric stone circle – whilst out hunting with fellow royalists during the English Civil War, exactly three hundred and sixty-two years ago. For Aubrey’s heroic retrieval of this vast but (by then) long forgotten Stone Age temple confronted the then-accepted notion that only the coming of the Romans had forced a degree of culture upon the barbaric Ancient British, and also confounded the then-popular 17th-century belief – propounded by the highly influential Scandinavian antiquaries Olaus Magnus and Ole Worm – that all such megalithic culture had its archaic origins in Europe’s far north. Indeed, so rich were the cultural implications of John Aubrey’s re-discovery that – come the fall of Oliver Cromwell’s 11-year-long Commonwealth and the subsequent Restoration of the Monarchy – even the returned King Charles II would himself insist on taking one of Aubrey’s celebrated tours of the Avebury area. But how could the world’s largest stone circle have suffered such a total cultural extinction in the first place? “<br /><br />Julian Cope<br /><br />More here – </div><a href="http://www.onthisdeity.com/7th-january-1649-%E2%80%93-the-re-discovery-of-avebury/">http://www.onthisdeity.com/7th-january-1649-%E2%80%93-the-re-discovery-of-avebury/</a> </div>Littlestonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230602842890742843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122412264139566973.post-73554974012950341132010-12-28T14:23:00.009+00:002011-03-08T13:38:55.224+00:00Avebury walks I: The Henge<div align="justify">The first in a series of features describing walks from the centre of Avebury that can be done in as little as 30 minutes or, if you have time, longer walks taking several hours.<br /><br />If you’re arriving in Avebury by coach or car you’ll probably get off in the main car park and then walk along the path to Avebury High Street. Depending on how much time you have it might only be possible to visit the National Trust and Henge shops and then take in one or two of the quadrants of the Henge. If museums are your thing a visit to the little Alexander Kieller Museum is a must.</div><div align="justify"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcl1ZENE9HnBcPJ7_ptDI1Y3kkxlim_QwCZq4BglkV_wk8RTOLWkW4r1N6Dh2IygNvvkpV4Zk7MpYNRnszpm9xcuBaTvh9sXs7kjxqhAP77gqtid53nVWaZuEgHrIJ2L1JsS5fKKqN6Gk/s1600/HPIM0130.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 301px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555740035819602370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcl1ZENE9HnBcPJ7_ptDI1Y3kkxlim_QwCZq4BglkV_wk8RTOLWkW4r1N6Dh2IygNvvkpV4Zk7MpYNRnszpm9xcuBaTvh9sXs7kjxqhAP77gqtid53nVWaZuEgHrIJ2L1JsS5fKKqN6Gk/s400/HPIM0130.JPG" /> <p align="center"></a>South-west quadrant</p><p align="justify">After leaving the Kieller Museum walk back to the High Street and from there enter the south-west quadrant of the Henge (above). You can then walk anticlockwise, following the stones, until you reach a gate that will take you across the road and into the south-east quadrant (look out for the massive stone called the Devil’s Chair). You might have run out of time by now so head towards the Red Lion pub and the High Street, and from there walk back to the path that will take you to the main car park. If you still have an hour or so to spare, however, climb the Bank in the south-east quadrant and follow it in an anticlockwise direction until you reach Green Street, and from there enter the north-east quadrant. From the north-east quadrant you can either carry on walking along the top of the Bank (which will give you a good view of most of the Henge) or cut across the quadrant towards the two tallest stones of the Avebury Henge which are known as the Cove. Cross the road from there and into the north-west quadrant (look out for the massive Diamond Stone by the road) and continue following the stones in an anticlockwise direction until you reach a gate which will bring you back into the lane that leads to the Alexander Kieller Museum in one direction and the main car park in the other.</p><p align="justify"></p><br />See also <strong>Footprints through Avebury</strong> by Mike Pitts.Littlestonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12230602842890742843noreply@blogger.com0