Avebury, I always think, has two distinct aspects to its unique charm. Firstly there are of course the famous prehistoric standing stones that lie within the great circle of the henge (the ‘henge’ is the great ditch and bank in the earth). Secondly, there is the village itself, which is an extraordinary oasis of architectural purity, protected by the National Trust. The standing stones at Avebury are incredible and well worth visiting.
The henge was constructed by the middle of the third millennium BC, according to radiocarbon dating. It is roughly 350 metres in diameter and over 1,000 metres in circumference.
There are in fact three separate stone circles at Avebury. The outer stone circle lies just inside the henge, and is the largest in Britain, being erected at the same time as, or shortly after, the time the henge was created, around 2870-2200 BC. There were originally 98 of these sarsen giants, some weighing over 40 tons and as tall as 4.2 metres high.
Further inside are two smaller stone circles. The northern circle was around 98 metres in diameter, though only two of its stones remain upright. The southern inner circle was about 108 metres in diameter, but was destroyed in the 18th century.
The first time I visited these ancient giants I had assumed that they would be unpleasant to the touch, but I found the opposite: they felt warm from the heat of the day’s sunshine, and somehow very friendly or positive.
Faces are easily seen in the standing stones at Avebury, and some seem to have personalities. One, particularly, (below) appears to be in a deep and contented sleep.
