Drawn To Avebury

A selecton of people who have been drawn to Avebury over the years.

William Morris

The artist, designer, craftsman, writer and socialist, William Morris (1834-1896), first encountered Avebury as a boy, when he was attending Marlborough College, from 1848 to 1851. In a letter to his sister, he described the "Druidical circle and ... Roman
entrenchment both which encircle the town". Like Betjeman and Thorpe, he regarded this place as a refuge from his school-life and it became a lasting source of inspiration and fascination for him. Jeremy Deller’s poster, shown here, commemorates the link, as well as the suggestive power of the stones.

Paul Nash

Paul Nash (1889-1946) was a painter, illustrator, writer,
photographer and designer, famous for his work as a
war artist in World War I. He first came to Avebury in
1933 and it had a profound effect on him, leading him
to produce several works based on the site. The image is Landscape of the Megaliths, 1937

“The great stones were then in their wild state, so to speak. Some were half covered by the grass, others stood up in the cornfields were entangled and overgrown in the copses, some were buried under the turf. But they were always wonderful and disquieting and, as I saw them then, I shall always remember them.”

Bill Brandt

Known for his documentary photography and his photographs of nudes, portraits and landscapes, Bill
Brandt (1904-1983) photographed Avebury as part of a series of landscapes inspired by English literature, published in his book Literary Britain in 1951. He described his process as follows:

“When I have found a landscape which I want to photograph, I wait for the right season, the right weather, and the right time of day or night, to get the picture which I know to be there.”

John Betjeman

Poet, John Betjeman (1906-1984), used to cycle to Avebury when he was a boarder at Marlborough College, as recounted in this extract from his verse autobiography:
“Up Seven Barrows Hill We overtook a six-ton Sentinel,
Our bike chains creaking with the strain. The heat
Cooled into green below the waiting elms That rampart round sepulchral Avebury. And gliding through the Winterbournes was peace:
Calm as canoeing were those winding lanes of meadowsweet and umbelliferae.”

from Summoned by Bells (John Murray, 1960) There is a wonderful film, by John Betjeman, which you cant watch HERE

David Bailey

Soon after recording, “Sympathy for the Devil”, in June 1968, the Rolling Stones came to Avebury for a photoshoot with the photographer, David Bailey (1938- ). The location provided a powerful backdrop, reflecting the fascination with the occult, ancient rituals and countercultural exploration of spirituality
in the late 1960s.

Derek Jarman

In 1971, artist and director, Derek Jarman (1942-1994), came to Avebury with his Super-8 camera and shot ‘A
Journey to Avebury’. In this 10 minute film, shots of the standing stones are intercut with shots of trees, roads and
cows. This, combined with an electronic soundtrack, has a
disquieting, dreamlike effect. Later in the same decade, Jarman also featured the Avebury stones in a series of landscape paintings.

The Children Of The Stones

Children of the Stones, like The Wicker Man and The Owl Service, was part of a genre of folk-horror that emerged in the 1970s. Initially a television series shot on location during the very hot summer of 1976, it was later turned into a novel in which Avebury is fictionalised as Milbury, a seemingly idyllic village hiding a sinister secret, as intimated by this extract from the novel:

“The villagers nodded encouragement, and soon
everyone was clapping. It was a gay, merry scene,
and Matthew began to wonder why he had felt so
jittery ever since coming to Milbury. It all looked so
right: a small, peaceful community perpetuating an
ancient custom of their ancestors. There was
nothing at all to worry about.”

From Children of the Stones (Carousel, 1977) by Jeremy
Burnham and Trevor Ray, the novelisation of the
television series produced in 1976 by HTV

Frank Parsons

Neolithic sites have been a life-long interest of Frank Parsons since he assisted in a dig at a Hampshire Roman Villa, aged 11. For many years, he was part of a team of archaeologists at Salisbury Museum and, since 2009, he has turned his visits to Avebury into performance art,
as he always dresses for the occasion. The outfit he is wearing in this photograph was made to show how his sixth great grandfather, David, might have appeared around 1690 to 1710 but it also recalls the figures in period costume in Stukeley’s images of the site. By walking around the monument dressed in this way, Parsons
hopes to add colour and delight to people’s visit and to share his knowledge of the history of the place.

Adam Thorpe

The novelist, Adam Thorpe (1956- ), first came to
Avebury when he was a boarder at Marlborough
College. The site, and Silbury Hill in particular, left a
lasting impression on him. A chapter of his first
novel, Ulverton, was inspired by the photograph of
labourers digging out the ditch during one of the
excavations led by Harold St George Gray, which you
can see in the ‘Monumental Changes’ Timeline. In his
youth, Thorpe led a drama workshop for children in
the Avebury stone circle, as recollected in his first
published poem:
“...The few upright stones
leaned like those old, kindly men
in parks, always vaguely interested
in what is going on. The ridge
swept round enormous behind the houses.
Drums and cymbals and humming and cries”
From ‘Drama Workshop, Avebury’, as quoted in
On Silbury Hill (Little Toller, 2014)

Pascale Stacey

The Anglo-French artist, Pascale Stacey, grew up in Brittany, where she and her three sisters were taught
art by Cécilia, a well-known painter in their town. Having come to live in Avebury in 2014, she has depicted
the surrounding countryside in several works. She says:
“what inspires me about Avebury is the all year round quality of light at any time of day, whether sunny or not"

Richard Draper

Richard Draper has lived near Avebury for 30 years and has been greatly inspired by the surrounding Neolithic landscape. His work bridges landscape, abstract and conceptual photography – one project was based on the idea of the palimpsest of traces along the nearby ancient Ridgeway. He has exhibited his work within the stone circle as part of Marlborough Open Studios. The image here was from the partial solar eclipse in March 2015, a long exposure made during the eerie half light. Observers have left their traces as they contemplate this ancient site’s connection with the forces of the sun and moon.

Kerry McKenna

Artist and musician, Kerry McKenna, has lived in the area since 1996. She paints on late, canvas and wood and crafts in various media. Several of her works have been inspired by Avebury, including the toppers that she has designed and made to sit on top of the postbox outside the Community Shop in the High Street. These take her months to make and her designs have become increasingly ornate, bold and distinctive.

Angela Norman

Photographer, Angela Norman, says: “I am lucky to have lived on the Marlborough Downs for almost 30 years, walking my dogs in this landscape almost every day. After moving into Avebury itself
a few years ago, I felt an even stronger connection with my surroundings and often find walking here at quiet moments a totally immersive experience.” Having photographed the wildlife and landscapes of Avebury for several years, during the Summer Solstice of 2025, she went out with just a mobile phone and no agenda to see where this creative process led her. She took a series of portraits of those celebrating in Avebury, including the one shown here.

Jez Butterworth

Jez Butterworth (1969- ) spent some of his youth in Pewsey, Wiltshire, which is the model for Flintock, where Jerusalem is set. The play shows the effects of gentrification and commercialisation on Rooster’s Wood and its antihero, Johnny ‘Rooster’ Byron, who lives there.
Johnny describes himself as part of a long line of “Byron
boys” who, once buried, lie “in the ground like a lump of
granite,” or a once-standing stone. Despite the ramshackle
appearance of the clearing where Johnny lives, his young
friend, Lee, sees it as a sacred space, like Avebury:
LEE. Ley lines is lines of ancient energy, stretching
across the landscape. Linking ancient sites. Like this
one, the one you’ve got here goes... (Thinks.) Avebury
Standing Stones, through Silbury Hill, right down to
Stonehenge, and on to Glastonbury. That ley line
comes clean through here. We’re standing on it right
now. Seriously. If you was a Druid, this wood is holy.
This is holy land.

David White

“I have lived and farmed on the Marlborough Downs all my life, just a short distance from Avebury. I am the fourth generation to look after our farm, which has now been handed down to the fifth generation and is looked after by my son, giving me the time to turn my love of the natural
world into photography. I have always been passionate about the natural world and the wonderful landscapes
and wildlife we have on our farm and in the surrounding countryside. I love trying to get photos that reflect that
beauty. I very rarely see anyone when I take photos of the Avebury Stone Circle at dawn and sunrise. The light is
exceptional here at that time of day; there is something almost magical about it, certainly mystical anyway. On
a cold autumn day, with low mist on the ground, I was able to see a wonderland with my drone .... Avebury
Stone Circle in the mists of time”.

Chris Dunn

Illustrator, Chris Dunn, lives and works in Calne, Wiltshire, and the surrounding countryside and villages have been a constant source of inspiration for him. Some of his characters have been drawn to, and drawn in, a whimsical version of Avebury, as shown here. Look out for
these landmarks, and any Mr Toads on the roads, as you walk around.