West Kennet Avenue, Avebury, Wiltshire
West Kennett Avenue is formed by two roughly parallel rows of standing stones. There were originally around 100 pairs of stones. They date from around 3000 BC, the Neolithic period. The Avenue winds its way across the landscape for around a mile and a half. It links the henge and stone circle complex at Avebury with the stone circle site known as The Sanctuary on Overton Hill. The course it follows is by no means a direct one, with notable changes in direction as the Avenue approaches both Avebury and the Sanctuary. In the best preserved 800 metre section there are 27 upright stones with heights ranging from 1.6 metres to 3.3 metres. The two rows stand on average 15 metres apart with the stones in each row about 20 metres apart. Excavations by Alexander Keiller in the 1930s focussed particularly on the northern end of the avenue as it approached Avebury. He uncovered a Neolithic site containing hearths, rubbish pits, pottery sherds and other remains. This site is now in the scare of English Heritage (2010). Read detailed archaeological description.
