Stonehenge and Avebury
The two great stone monuments of Wiltshire, which have drawn antiquarians, Druids and modern Pagans for centuries.
Practised and told of here
Best time: Weekdays outside the solstice. Midsummer and midwinter dawns are open but crowded.
Stonehenge was built in stages from about 3000 BCE and Avebury, the largest stone circle in Britain, about the same time. What the builders believed is unknown, since they left no writing. The stories of Druids building them were created by antiquarians in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and archaeologists reject them.
What is known
Excavation shows that Stonehenge was a burial ground and a ceremonial place. Its stones align with the midsummer sunrise and midwinter sunset. Many theories of its use, from calendar to healing site, are argued, and none is settled.
Modern use
Modern Druids and Pagans gather at the solstices, with English Heritage allowing open access on those days. Avebury has an active Pagan community, and its stones are on open land with a village inside the circle.
Visiting
Stonehenge has timed tickets and a visitor centre, with a path round the stones. Avebury is free to walk, and the stones are on farmland, so the ground may be uneven.
A respectful visit to Stonehenge and Avebury
Living communities are not a show. Ask before photographing a person or a ceremony, and follow local rules.
- Stonehenge visitor centre See the exhibition and the reconstructed houses.
- The stones Walk the circuit and use the audio guide.
- Avebury circle Walk the circle and the village.
- Silbury Hill See the great mound nearby.
Written by the EveryJaadu desk with AI assistance. Background: "Stonehenge" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets and ceremonies change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
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