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Fyfield Down

Hills of WiltshireSites of Special Scientific Interest in WiltshireSites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1951
Sarsen stones, Fyfield Down geograph.org.uk 412186
Sarsen stones, Fyfield Down geograph.org.uk 412186

Fyfield Down (grid reference SU136709) is part of the Marlborough Downs, about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of the village of Fyfield, Wiltshire. The down is a 325.3 hectare biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest, notified in 1951. The down has the best assemblage of sarsen stones in England, known as the Grey Wethers. The site is to be distinguished from another Fyfield Down also in Wiltshire, east of Pewsey and on the edge of Salisbury Plain, near another place called Fyfield. The two places are only about 9 miles (14 km) apart.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Fyfield Down (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Fyfield Down
Herepath,

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Wikipedia: Fyfield DownContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 51.4369 ° E -1.8057 °
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Address

Herepath (Green Street)

Herepath
SN8 1RU , Fyfield
England, United Kingdom
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Sarsen stones, Fyfield Down geograph.org.uk 412186
Sarsen stones, Fyfield Down geograph.org.uk 412186
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The Sanctuary
The Sanctuary

The Sanctuary was a stone and timber circle near the village of Avebury in the south-western English county of Wiltshire. Excavation has revealed the location of the 58 stone sockets and 62 post-holes. The ring was part of a tradition of stone circle construction that spread throughout much of Britain, Ireland, and Brittany during the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, over a period between 3300 and 900 BCE. The purpose of such monuments is unknown, although archaeologists speculate that the stones represented supernatural entities for the circle's builders. The Sanctuary was erected on Overton Hill, overlooking older Early Neolithic sites like West Kennet Long Barrow and East Kennet Long Barrow. It was connected to the Late Neolithic henge and stone circle at Avebury via the West Kennet Avenue of stones. It also lies close to the route of the prehistoric Ridgeway and near several Bronze Age barrows. In the early 18th century, the site was recorded by the antiquarian William Stukeley although the stones were destroyed by local farmers in the 1720s. The Sanctuary underwent archaeological excavation by Maud and Ben Cunnington in 1930, after which the location of the prehistoric posts was marked out by concrete posts. Now a scheduled monument under the guardianship of English Heritage, it is classified as part of the "Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites" UNESCO World Heritage Site and is open without charge to visitors all year round.