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Whilst poring through the maps bit of a 2nd hand bookshop, I found an OS one-inch map for Swindon, revised 1961, and picked it up.

Comparing this with the modern Explorer for Marlborough (which I take the weatherproof version of from the library prior to every visit), I spotted some differences: on the old map, there's a long barrow beside the circle at Winterbourne Bassett. Another circle at East Kennet too. On the other hand, Falkner's circle doesn't appear on the older one.

Can anyone tell me if these places have been destroyed since the sixties, or just not significant enough features of the land to make it the map anymore? Were they reclassified, found not to be what they were originally thought to be?

I'd love to hear from anyone who can shed light on these.

That's interesting..!

I often wonderd how Faulkner's circle was supposed to be a) a circle and b) where it is. I understood it to be based on pure speculation rather than proof - can anyone elaborate?

Also - do you have any map refs for the other ones you mentioned?

Cheers!
G x

I sometimes wonder when a site becomes too ruinious to mention - on some maps they show sites which are so ruinious to be barely visible, sometimes they list them so ("rems of"....) and other times they just disappear.

When I visited Glenquickan in 2004, the 1970s map I was using showed a second circle within walking distance, which we tried in vain to find but failed. Then later that day, I looked at the most recent edition of the Landranger map and the circle was no longer marked.

I don't have refs as yet, but in the case of the Winterbourne Bassett circle, the 'long barrow' is in the same field, very close to the remains of the circle.

The East Kennet circle is directly south of the East Kennet Long Barrow, near 'Thorn Hill'.

I'll look for any more 'lost' sites on there and upload some scans, then post a link.