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Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue
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Stukeley believed that there'd been an avenue on the west side of Avebury - he recorded two remaining (now removed) stones of it where it joined the main circle, opposite the churchyard. He also noted many other boulders and suspicious looking depressions in the ground. He said it had crossed the Winterbourne stream (some stones subsequently being incorporated into the bridge), through where a row of houses were present on the south side of Bray Street, and headed out into "open plow'd fields" to join the Longstones. Stukeley imagined there would be a temple rather like the Sanctuary at its end, but he found nothing. Still, for those who would like to dream, he did predict the avenue, and as we know for many many years this was held to be a silly idea...
(unfortunately gleaned from Pitts' 'Hengeworld' and not Stukeley's own writings)
Stukeley was convinced that the avenue continued beyond Longstones Field to the south-west, eventually terminating on a low hill at Fox Covert ('a most solemn and awful place'). However, the archaeologists from Southampton aren't convinced, and believe the avenue actually ended in Longstones Field, at or just beyond the cove, though 'ambiguities remain'. Which is still an impressive 4km to the Sanctuary.
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Posted by Rhiannon
19th November 2004ce
Edited 4th April 2007ce
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