Location guide
This well-known historic spot holds a wealth of photographic opportunities, says Jeremy Walker
Jeremy Walker shares his tips on shooting in avebury, Wiltshire
THE SMALL and picturesque village of Avebury lies at the heart of the rolling Marlborough Downs, 11 miles south of Swindon and the M4. The village is situated within one of the largest Neolithic stone circles in Europe and Avebury Henge has quite rightly been made a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are three stone circles, a stone avenue and a bank and ditch earthwork and entrance is free.
The whole site of the stone circles, ditches and earthworks, as well as the recently discovered square formation of stones, were not constructed as one entity, it was developed over a period of several hundreds of years from approximately 3000BC to 2400BC. Some of the stones weigh more than 40 tons and measure up to four metres high. The construction of the stone circles at Avebury remains a mystery and many theories abound, from religious ritual site to links with King Arthur.
Avebury is owned by English Heritage but managed by The National Trust, and as such members of both organisations can park in the only car park for free; others will have to use the pay-and- display machines, which handily take cards. It is virtually impossible to park anywhere else in or near the village. The stone circles are officially open during ‘any reasonable time in daylight hours’ but turning up for a sunrise shoot has never been a problem. The only difficulty will be the parking, as the car park will be closed.