The Avenue

Heritage Site in Wiltshire

England

The Avenue

Track to farm off Stonehenge Road Credit: Helen Steed

The Avenue, located in Wiltshire, England, is a historic heritage site that holds great significance in the country's cultural and archaeological history. This ancient monument is believed to have been constructed around 2500 BCE during the Neolithic period. It stretches for approximately 2.5 miles, connecting the famous Stonehenge to the River Avon.

The Avenue is a remarkable structure consisting of a large earthen embankment flanked by parallel ditches. It is aligned with the midsummer sunrise, suggesting its importance in ancient religious ceremonies and astronomical observations. The embankment itself is over 80 feet wide, creating an impressive visual spectacle for those who visit.

Archaeological excavations have revealed that this site was once adorned with timber posts and stones, which have since eroded or been removed. The purpose of The Avenue remains a subject of ongoing debate among historians and archaeologists. Some theories suggest that it served as a ceremonial pathway leading to Stonehenge, while others propose that it may have been used for processions or as a way to control access to the sacred site.

Despite the mysteries surrounding its purpose, The Avenue provides a unique glimpse into the lives and beliefs of our ancient ancestors. Its preservation and accessibility to the public allow visitors to experience the awe-inspiring scale and historical significance of this Neolithic monument. The Avenue continues to attract tourists, historians, and archaeologists alike, contributing to our understanding of prehistoric cultures and their relationship with the landscape.

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The Avenue Images

Images are sourced within 2km of 51.182/-1.822 or Grid Reference SU1242. Thanks to Geograph Open Source API. All images are credited.

Track to farm off Stonehenge Road

Helen Steed

Tumulus near Stonehenge

Anthony Parkes

Heel Stone and Stonehenge

Anthony Parkes

Stonehenge with approaching storm

Anthony Parkes

Stonehenge

Anthony Parkes

Tumulus on Normanton Down

Seen from the A303.

Trevor Harris

Students sitting on Stonehenge stones, 1926

Original 127 size print shows one upright sarsen with no cap, but there are heavy fingerprints on the top of the stone in the print, so it has been cropped. The people are students from University College London, at the time it was normal to touch and even sit on the stones.

John A Hawgood

Heel Stone with Cut Benchmark Visible

A cut Ordnance Survey benchmark is visible in this shot about 0.3m up from the ground, slightly right of centre (central to and slightly above the grey and yellow patches of lichen). There is at least one other cut benchmark on the main stone circle too. They were carved in the days before such acts were considered to be vandalism.

Paul Collins

A Wiltshire Gate

I don't know how the name came about, but these moveable barriers are often called Wiltshire Gates. This one is in its home county on National Trust access land near to Stonehenge. Buildings at Greenland Farm are just visible on the horizon.

Des Blenkinsopp

Stonehenge Landscape

The National Trust manages 827 hectares of mostly chalk grassland with some small woods around the main site of Stonehenge. Rich in plant and animal species, the site also contains many of the large number of prehistoric remains which surround the Henge.

Des Blenkinsopp

Fence along The Cursus

The fence follows the line of The Cursus, a low level Neolithic linear earthwork presumed to have been made for some sort of ceremonial purpose. The field on the other side is part of the National Trust's access land surrounding Stonehenge. There is not a lot to see there. For a view in the opposite direction see SU1143 : Northern edge of The Cursus

Des Blenkinsopp

Dew Pond near Stonehenge

Once a common sight on dry downland pastures, you can still find dew ponds from time to time. Clay lined to collect rainfall, they were often the only source of drinking water for livestock.

Des Blenkinsopp

Fargo Plantation

Part of the National Trust's Stonehenge Landscape site. This area is not very well wooded, and what trees there are tend to be confined into small plantations like this one.

Des Blenkinsopp

Tumulus in Fargo Plantation

There are dozens of these Bronze Age burial mounds all around Stonehenge, which is why the whole area is a protected landscape in the care of the National Trust.

Des Blenkinsopp

Tumulus and Gate

There are dozens of these burial mounds all around Stonehenge. They come in various shapes and sizes. These two are some of the larger ones and are fenced off in their own enclosure.

Des Blenkinsopp

Bus To The Stones

One of the buses which take visitors on the 2 km trip between Stonehenge and the Visitor Centre. Quite a few people go on foot, especially on a nice day like this, hence the walkway along the roadside. The buses are the only regular traffic along what used to be the A344, a former main road which has now been closed.

Des Blenkinsopp

Memorial to an Aviator

A short distance away from a similar memorial outside the Stonehenge Visitor Centre to two pioneer airmen who crashed near there in 1912, this roadside cross is in memory of Major Alexander William Hewetson who was killed whilst flying on the 17th July 1913.

Des Blenkinsopp