Marden Henge

Marden Henge stands in the Vale of Pewsey, Wiltshire, between the villages of Marden and Wilsford. It is the largest Neolithic henge enclosure found in Britain, covering fourteen hectares beside the River Avon. The enclosure has an oval shape, with a low central platform shifted northward and a ditch on three sides. The river forms the southern and western boundaries. Once it held a massive mound called Hatfield Barrow, now collapsed, and traces of wooden structures remain inside. The site dates from the late fourth millennium B.C. and was used for ceremonies rather than defence. Excavations found grooved ware pottery and antlers, while a circular wooden building about ten and a half metres across suggests ritual activity. A human skeleton with signs of childhood malnutrition was uncovered, along with over three hundred animal bones from cattle, pigs and deer. Sir Richard Colt Hoare visited in 1807 and recognised the site’s religious purpose. Visitors walk around the grassy enclosure where ploughing has erased most surface traces. The northern entrance leads past deep gullies and scattered flint tools. Nearby, Wilsford Henge lies a kilometre to the south. The flat floodplain and river banks frame the wide, low earthworks, offering a quiet contrast to the crowded circles of Avebury and Stonehenge.