Name: Silbury Hill, Avebury
Rating: 5.0

Silbury Hill, Avebury

West Kennett, Marlborough, Wiltshire SN8 1QH, UK

1-99 Years

Website

Contact

Message

Description

Silbury Hill, Avebury The largest artificial mound in Europe, mysterious Silbury Hill compares in height and volume to the roughly contemporary Egyptian pyramids. Probably completed in around 2400 BC, it apparently contains no burial. Though clearly important in itself, its purpose and significance remain unknown. Silbury Hill is part of the Avebury World Heritage Site, and a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Silbury Hill stands 30 metres high and 160 metres wide, and its construction is estimated to have involved about 4 million man hours of work. Half a million tonnes of material, mostly chalk, were used to create it.

Free Entry. If you are looking for Best place for day out with kids and families then this is the perfect destination offering fun, adventure, and unforgettable memories for everyone.

Features

Free
Host birthday parties: No

Features

History of Silbury Hill: Silbury Hill is the largest artificial prehistoric mound in Europe. Probably built over a short period between about 2470 and 2350 BC, it is one of the most intriguing monuments in the prehistoric landscape of the Avebury World Heritage Site. We do not know its purpose, or its meaning for the late Neolithic people who built it, but its enduring presence in the landscape has inspired myths and legends as people have sought to explain its purpose.
Origins and Construction: Silbury Hill stands 30 metres high and 160 metres wide, and its construction is estimated to have involved about 4 million man hours of work. Half a million tonnes of material, mostly chalk, were used to create it.
The monument we see today was not conceived and built in a single campaign, but enlarged over several generations. Perhaps different people brought soil and chalk from their own neighbouring lands, bringing communities together. Over time, the project became more ambitious, with huge quantities of chalk dug from the surrounding ditch to build the mound.
The Neolithic Landscape: No one knows why Silbury Hill was built, but we do know that it was during a time of great change, when new forms of pottery, new burial rites and the first metal-working arrived in Britain. It must have been a special place, where people gathered for events and episodes of building.
Roman and Medieval Use: The story of Silbury Hill does not end in prehistory. A recent geophysical survey has shown that the Romans chose to build a road and an extensive settlement around the foot of the mound.
An Unfortunate Legacy: This intriguing mound has long been an archaeological enigma. No doubt spurred on by stories of rich burials, antiquarians and archaeologists have dug at least three separate tunnels into the centre.
In 1776 Hugh Percy, Duke of Northumberland, financially supported an excavation by Edward Drax, who directed a group of miners to dig a vertical shaft from the summit to the centre of the hill. They failed to find the central burial they had expected.

Facilities

Parking: Car parking is available on site with a £2 charge for non-members payable by text. Parking is free for Members with a valid English Heritage car sticker on display.

Website

Contact

Price

Price: Free

Birthday Parties

Offer Birthday Parties: No

Open during reasonable daylight hours.

Address: West Kennett, Marlborough, Wiltshire SN8 1QH, UK

Post Code: SN8 1QH

Council: Wiltshire

County: Wiltshire

Road Access: 1 mile west of West Kennett on A4.
Bus Access: Stagecoach in Swindon service 49 passes within 3⁄4 mile of the site. Also Connect2 Wiltshire services 4 & 5 and Taxibus TL3. Tel 0845 652 5255 for more details.
Train Access: Pewsey 9 miles, Swindon 13 miles.
Bicycle Access: Find this site on The National Cycle Network.
Parking: Car parking is available on site with a £2 charge for non-members payable by text. Parking is free for Members with a valid English Heritage car sticker on display.