 |
| Éù
West
Kennett Long Barrow |
|
West
Kennett Long Barrow dates back to 3500 BC and is one of the
best preserved barrows in the country - it is also one of
the largest. It measures over 90 metres (300 feet) in length
and is nearly 24 metres (80 feet) wide.
The
barrow is 'blocked' at its eastern end by several large sarsen
stones - the largest of which is over three metres (12
feet) high. Inside, a chamber, 12 metres (40 feet) in length
is divided into five distinct chambers.
When
it was excavated in the 1950s, the remains of between 40 and
50 people were discovered - some of which were children. The
oldest of the remains were dated back to 2570 BC and the barrow
itself was in use for around a thousand years.
|
| Éù
Thoughts
and Theories |
|
 It
seems that of the relics recovered from the tomb, only
incomplete skeletons were found, the implication being
that the missing bones (skulls and limbs) were used for ritualistic
purposes.
Back
in the 1600s, despite dire warnings of ghostly hounds haunting
the area, the barrow was raided by a local doctor and the
bones found within used to create patent medicines.
 Ley-hunter,
Paul Devereux, writing in his book Symbolic Landscapes,
notes that the westward extension of West Kennett Long Barrow
coincided with the construction of nearby Silbury Hill.
He goes on to suggest that, as a result, a clear view towards
Silbury, Avebury and the Neolithic settlement at Windmill
Hill beyond emerged and asserts that this visual 'fix'
would have been symbolic for Neolithic man.
 When
measuring the monument's 'ley structure', Martin Newman
located an energy centre inside the chamber. He wrote: "here
someone had placed in the stones a small bunch of wild flowers.
When I saw the flowers it really made my heart skip a beat,
it was like an offering placed there for the earth mother."
Quoted from .
|
| Éù
Multimedia |
|
GALLERY:
Click
here
for The Moonraking Gallery.
|
| Éù
Add Your
View |
|
Ìý
|
| Éù
How
to find it |
|
West
Kennett Long Barrow lies about a quarter of a mile to the
south of the A4 between Marlborough and Beckhampton.
Éù
Ordnance
Survey: SU100675
Éù
Click
to see Multimap location
The Â鶹Éç is not responsible for the content of external websites
|
