The Sanctuary

The Sanctuary stands on Overton Hill, a low ridge south of Avebury in Wiltshire. It was once a stone and timber circle built between 3300 and 900 BCE, part of a wider tradition across Britain, Ireland and Brittany. Excavations found 58 stone sockets and 62 post-holes arranged in two concentric rings. The inner ring held sarsen stones while the outer held timber posts in several phases. The site overlooked older Neolithic tombs such as West Kennet Long Barrow and East Kennet Long Barrow. It also linked to the Avebury henge by the West Kennet Avenue, a line of stones stretching 2.4 kilometres. Archaeologists value The Sanctuary because it shows how Late Neolithic builders moved from timber to stone. Maud and Ben Cunnington excavated it in 1930 and marked the post positions with concrete posts. Aubrey Burl called the modern remains a ‘dull and stunted concrete reproduction’. Joshua Pollard and Andrew Reynolds argue its significance should not be understated despite its modest appearance. The site’s connection to Avebury and the Kennet Avenue suggests it played a role in wider rituals. Finds of Neolithic pottery and animal bone hint at some occupation or activity there. Visitors today see concrete markers standing in grass on the hilltop. The view stretches across the Kennet valley to distant downs. Nearby lie the remains of West Kennet Long Barrow and East Kennet Long Barrow. The West Kennet Avenue begins or ends at the site, its line of stones leading towards Avebury. The Sanctuary itself offers little spectacle, yet it stands within a landscape rich in prehistoric monuments. Its quiet presence invites reflection on the builders who shaped this land over four thousand years ago.