Related Avebury Projects

The only large-scale archaeological excavations to take place at Avebury were carried out just before the outbreak of WWII. Materials and objects collected and made at this time were left under-analysed for decades. As a result, we have – until now – only had a partial understanding of Avebury’s past and present.

We will add to the archaeological work that ended so abruptly due to the war, bringing together findings from 1939 and subsequent excavations. The archive also includes creative work inspired by Avebury, and these stories are just as important as the stones for understanding Avebury today. Importantly, the entire archive will be made available online on an ‘open access’ basis for anyone to use for research, enjoyment, and artistic projects

Visit the website here

Stonehenge and Avebury were inscribed together on the UNESCO World Heritage Site List in 1986. The Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites World Heritage Site was one of the UK’s very first World Heritage Sites.

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​Watch the short film about the WHS  Avebury site here

​Watch the short film about the WHS  Stonehenge site here

Begun in about 2500 BC, the Sanctuary was originally a complex circular arrangement of timber posts and standing stones. These components are now indicated by concrete blocks and posts.

When archaeologists excavated the site in 1930 they found many objects such as flint tools, animal bones and pottery fragments, suggesting that Neolithic people were placing offerings in and around the standing posts. Later, in the early Bronze Age, the site was chosen for the burial of a teenage boy with a small Beaker pot.

The Sanctuary is in DCMS ownership and English Heritage guardianship. It is managed by the National Trust on behalf of English Heritage, and the two organisations share the cost of managing and maintaining the site.

Read more about the history of the Sanctuary.

​Click here to visit the website