Very close to Stonehenge is the site called Woodhenge. Since this was made out of wood the stumps are no longer there. They are represented by concrete posts. A lot of the old style archaeology that went on was destructive. So afterwards they put the markers to identify the locations and to document it all. The henge associated with woodhenge is massive on the order of kilometers. It is very interesting to note how many different henges are around England. Starting with wood and moving onto stone is perhaps a refinement of the technology. One unfortunate side effect of this is that some henges are respected more than others. This one got its protection because they found the bones of a dog here. Not just any dog it was a domesticated hunting dog that was from 500 miles away. It was dated to 3800 BC. We had a nice drive to our next destination and along the way we saw a couple of Chalk horses. These are very large sculptures built on the side of a hill. They are up kept with fresh chalk so that they can remain seen. We saw houses with thatched roofs. We saw a tiny Stonehenge than a woman put up to draw tourists to her pub. We drove on a country lane that was so overgrown that only a small circle of light at the very end was visible.
The previous arrangement of the wood posts in woodhenge.
A representation of how it would have looked way back when
The massive henge associated with woodhenge. You can see from the picture how far away it is and yet the bank is still very tall
The henge is as big as a road would be on a road map
So many different posts are all arranged very specifically
The pub owners mini stonehenge
Not nearly as impressive
Canal boats on the Avon River
It is a very popular recreational activity to cruise the canals of England in these refurbished canal boats
The first of two chalk horses we saw.
There is a school of thought that says these used to be dragons, since dragons were more of an entity in the mythology than horses were.
This is a field where the type of stone, sarsen stone, used in the lintel stones was naturally deposited by the glaciers as they receded.
So these sarsen stones are actually located closer to Stonehenge. It is the blue stones that were found much further away, 400 km. These stones would then be dressed, or finished, to the desired shape.
This is Silbury Hill. It is the largest prehistoric mound in Europe it has the same angle of repose as the great Pyramids 40°. Ironically there are 15 distinct levels of sediment from 15 different areas some as far away is 50 miles. It is estimated that it took 150 years to build
I spot a Spotted Cow
The flat part on the top of the hill is the same diameter as Stonehenge and the height of it takes it to the same altitude as Avbury circle. Its size is roughly the same as smaller Egyptian pyramids. It was build in 2400BC.
The landowner put this obelisk up to identify his land. The legend goes if you could see the obelisk that means you were on his land
This is the second chalk horse
A lovely little thatched roof house
A tunnel of trees
Into it we go
Another charming building
