The stone circle at Avebury, which dates back over 5,000 years to the Neolithic and Bronze Age, has reopened after waterlogged ground had caused it to be closed for some weeks.
Visitors will once again be able to access the stone circle, which is the largest in the world. And on World Heritage Day, Wednesday 18 April, the National Trust is offering free entry to the Alexander Keiller Museum.
However, the henge banks and West Kennett Avenue are still closed to the public.
Avebury was, together with Stonehenge, added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 1986 because of their outstanding prehistoric monuments. The stone circle at Avebury lies at the heart of a prehistoric landscape that contains numerous impressive and well-preserved monuments, including Windmill Hill causewayed enclosure, the Sanctuary and West Kennet Long Barrow.
The Alexander Keiller Museum at Avebury was created by the famous twentieth century archaeologist, Alexander Keiller, whose passion for prehistory led him to excavate much of Avebury and the surrounding landscape.
The museum is housed over two galleries: the Stables Gallery houses the artefacts that were discovered during Keiller’s work, along with later finds, whilst the newly refurbished Barn Gallery tells the story of the people who lived at Avebury in prehistoric times through an exhibition and interactive displays.
Hazel Barry-Scott, Senior Visitor Experience Officer, said, “This is a really good opportunity for people to come and have a look around, to go into the stone circle itself, and even touch the stones, before finding out more about them in the museum. We’re really proud of our newly refreshed exhibition in the Barn Gallery which has lots of new and up-to-date information for visitors to see, so it’s well worth a visit if you haven’t been for a while.”
The museum opening hours are 10am – 6pm, seven days a week. For those interested in Avebury’s more recent history, then Avebury Manor, with its award winning tea-room, is also open 11am – 5pm. More details are at the National Trust website.
A new attraction in town: Marlborough Museum opens in The Merchant’s House
