Wiltshire farmer Tim Daw creates “new look” Neolithic burial chamber site for family ashes

A modern version of the Neolithic burial chamber where people can deposit the ashes of their loved ones is being created on the land of farmer Tim Daw at All Cannings, half way between Marlborough and Devizes.

He is building a long barrow similar to those dotted on the Wiltshire landscape and not far from the prehistoric sites at Avebury and Stonehenge, which lure thousands of visitors from around the world.

And his enterprise is virtually within sight of the ancient Silbury Hill and, on the skyline ridge, the West Kennet Long Barrow, the latter the last resting place of nearly 50 pagan people, created around 3650 BC and first recorded by John Aubrey in the 17th century.

Farmer Daw has already laid down some huge Sarsen stone slabs to create the base for a boat-shaped burial mound, whose entrance is aligned so that the winter solstice sun will shine through it.

Within six months he expects it to be available to families to store forever the cremated remains of up to 2,400 family members  on his 220-acre farm.

Bearded Mr Daw was given planning permission last autumn for his highly unusual project for a 50 metre-long barrow where families will be able to lease £1,000 niches inside to deposit six to eight urns containing the ashes of the dead.

“We’ve already had five people sign up, and that’s without really pushing it at all,” 52-year-old Mr Daw, himself an atheist, tells the Western Daily Press. “We thought we’d wait until something tangible is happening, and the thing is being built or built already.

“Now it has, as this is the first set of stones to go down.  It’s being made of Sarsen stones and is quite a simple construction really.”

Inside the burial mound there will be seven separate chambers each with four shelves containing 300 lockable individual “niches” that can be secured for a family.

“We’ll have to keep the inside secure as other people’s remains will be in there too, but the idea is that it will be a place for families to come,” he explains.  “They’ll be able to sit and contemplate on the mound.”