West Kennett Palisaded Enclosures

Nearest town:
Marlborough (8km ENE)
OS reference:
SU109681
OS sheet:
173
Latitude:
51° 24' 40.59 N
Longitude:
1° 50' 35.73 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of West Kennett Palisaded Enclosures by Chance

Interpretation model of the West Kennett palisade enclosures, The Sanctuary and Silbury Hill as seen looking East. From the Great Barn, part of the Alexander Keiller Museum.

Image credit: MDM Props Ltd. Hearne Hill - London
Chance
Chance Apr 29, 2010
Image of West Kennett Palisaded Enclosures by Chance

Interpretation model of the West Kennett palisade enclosures and The Sanctuary from the Great Barn, part of the Alexander Keiller Museum

Image credit: MDM Props Ltd. Hearne Hill - London
Chance
Chance Apr 29, 2010

Articles

Miscellaneous

West Kennett Palisaded Enclosures
Enclosure
M
MJB Nov 26, 2004

The site map referred to by Rhiannon (as featured on the EH website) actually incorporates cropmark discoveries made since Whittle published his excavation report. For more details see the article in Wiltshire Archaeological Magazine vol 96, 2003, pages 148-160.

Miscellaneous

West Kennett Palisaded Enclosures
Enclosure
Rhiannon
Rhiannon Nov 25, 2004

Markings on the ground here (just south-east of Silbury Hill) were spotted in an aerial photograph in the 1950s. It was some time later in the 1970s that they were first investigated, when a trench for a pipe was being dug.

The then Avebury museum curator Faith Vatcher found traces of large holes which would have held 50cm diameter wooden posts – these perhaps would have been a massive 8m tall*. These outlined the larger westerly enclosure (350m long, 200 across). The other enclosure was rounder, and had slightly smaller posts (five for every 3 metres).

The map on the link shows the layout of what is known – the complex of double rings, curves and straight lengths, with maybe smaller rings to the south east. Although the stream cuts through it, it’s possible that this has changed since the late Neolithic when the enclosures were probably constructed.

Alasdair Whittle excavated the enclosures between 1987 and 1992. If you can find it, his 1997 report “Sacred mound, holy rings” should give the full story.

also see the record at Magic
magic.gov.uk/rsm/10380.pdf
for more facts and figures.

*mentioned in Pitts’ ‘Hengeworld‘

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