Blick Mead

Around noon on September 17th and blessed by glorious late summer weather, a group of twenty Avebury Society members gathered at the Amesbury History Centre, ordered food and drink for lunch and browsed the displays.  We met up with our guide Professor David Jacques, who pointed out some of the items that had come from his excavations at Blick Mead near by, about which we had heard when he spoke to the Society in 2021.

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Suitably fortified by various dishes rustled up by the café we were led into the grounds of the Abbey, and into an idyllic rural scene, river sparkling in the sunlight, meadow grazed by cattle, parkland trees. ​Once over the elegant bridge (under restoration) we left the Abbey grounds and entered a rather less pampered area belonging to the Antrobus estate.  The solitude of this land is carefully preserved by the owners and we felt privileged in entering it.

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Following a rough path, David first led us to the bank of the river where cir  cles of disturbed water proved not to be due to fish but to the emergence of spring waters.  David explained the significance of this not only for Mesolithic hunter-gatherers, fresh water, at the temperature of around 11oC (never freezing) but also for the animals on whom they relied for food and equipment, bone and skin.  Another fascinating feature of the riverbank was the presence of ‘pink flints’.  When the flints are removed from the shallow light-dappled water, in a short time they become coloured a bright pink.  Some are to be seen in the History Centre. They may have added to the mystery of the place for the early inhabitants.

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Retracing our steps took us to within sound of the A303 not far from the Countess roundabout, with glimpses through the trees of speeding traffic.

By contrast Blick Mead presented itself as a small peaceful meadow sloping gently to a flatter area once bordering the river, still part of the river in times of flood as earlier in the year.  This was where the focus of the excavations had been and, funding permitting, will continue in the future.  Here had been found the evidence of flint tool making and the strange platform of stone and bone built up and covering footprints left by aurochs.   David painted a picture of a land teeming with life, from the herds of huge aurochs to beavers and hares. 

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The whole site must have been of ritual significance over thousands of years.  There was evidence of the cultivation of henbane, no doubt used as an hallucinogenic.  ​We felt that the lives of the people had had much to commend it.  They feasted (one auroch could feed over a hundred).  No doubt they sang and danced.  There were likely gatherings of many people from the surrounding country, as evidently continued into the neolithic age, the bronze age and later too, and indeed to the present Solstice celebrations.  

 

The thought of this scene overshadowed by a vast flyover with the additional destruction of the water –table was chilling. 

Our final destination was to ‘Vespasian’s Camp’, an iron age earthwork above a steep bank down to the river below.  This had nothing to do with the emporer Vespasian!

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The landowners had asked us not to proceed into the earthwork as ash-dieback threatened to drop branches on anyone beneath with consequent ‘health and safety’ problems. 

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David pointed out the security of the cliff-like riverbank at that side of the earthwork, elsewhere it had a single dich.  He also showed the view that without trees would give a vista of the river bend  providing a grand-stand view for any river procession. On the far side, at a distance, the Abbey buildings could be seen nestled in the parkland.

 

We departed, with heartfelt thanks to David and to Martin Northmore–Ball who had indefatigably organised our day.

Recommended, a visit to the Amesbury History Centre in the High Street. 

 

There is much to see, and excellent refreshments are available!

Read Current Archaeology April 19th 2013 “Vespasian’s Camp; Cradle of Stonehenge”