Summary
Durrington Walls Henge is a large ceremonial monument roughly circular in plan 490m by 468m overall, with opposed entrances to north-east and south-east. The National Trust only owns 300m of the outer bank and the outer edge of part of the inner ditch.
Identification Images (0)
Monument Types
- HENGE ENCLOSURE (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
Description
Durrington Walls is a large ceremonial monument or henge roughly circular in plan 490m by 468m overall, with opposed entrances to north-west and south-east. It lies on a south-east slope around a dry gully leading to the River Avon; the south-east entrance faces the river some 60m away. Until 2002, the National Trust only owned 300m of the outer bank and the outer edge of part of the inner ditch. This northern field of Countess Farm was in established grass when visited. A single rabbit hole was notes in the bank of the monument which has been severely reduced and spread by ploughing in the past. In 2002 the land north of this field as far as the Pack Way was acquired and therefore the whole of the henge W of the old road to Devizes is now in NT ownership and in permanent pasture.
Excavations in advance of roadworks in 1966-67 (Wainwright and Longworth 1971) revealed the ditch as 17.6m wide at the top, 6.7m wide at the bottom and 5.5m deep. Two circular rings of post-holes known as the north and south circles were interpreted as remains of important buildings. Earlier Neolithic material was found beneath the bank and Grooved Ware of the Later Neolithic was found in primary contexts in the bank, ditch and the timber circles. Beaker pottery was found in secondary ditch slits. Radiocarbon dates from the Earlier Neolithic ranged around 2,600BC. For the later Neolithic Settlement around 2,000BC (RCHME 1979, 15).
Geophysical survey was carried out by English Heritage in this area in 2003 with excellent results showing timber circles and ring ditches.
In September 2003, a watching brief on renewal of the fence line around the NT land of Durrington enabled gate-post holes to be examined. That at the N edge beside the Pack Way SU15104406 revealed 0.15m of topsoil above solid natural chalk. That on the W side of the old Devizes Road line near the centre of the henge revealed deep silts. Below modern disturbance 0.35m deep was silt 0.8m deep to the bottom of the N & S post-holes. The Neolithic archaeology is likely to survive below this. Each post-hole was on the site of the earlier gate-post and was 0.4m wide.
References
- SNA63044 - Unpublished document: Martin Papworth. 2008. Stonehenge Estate Countess Farm Replacement of fences and gateposts.
- SNA67893 - Report: M Parker Pearson. 2005. The Stonehenge Riverside Project: Interim Report 2005.
- SNA69467 - Article in serial: Parker Pearson, M et al. 2007. The Age of Stonehenge. 81, Issue 313.
- SNA69519 - Article in serial: M Parker Pearson, C Allen, M Allen, A Payne, K Welham. 2004. The Stonehenge Riverside project: research design and initial results. 14.
- SNA69520 - Geophysical Survey Report: Payne, Andrew. 2004. Durrington Walls Henge, Wiltshire. Report on Geophysical Survey, April 2004.
- SNA69521 - Geophysical Survey Report: Payne, Andrew. 2003. Durrington Walls Henge, Wiltshire. Report on Geophysical Surveys, January 1996 and April 2003.
- SNA70064 - Report: M Parker Pearson. 2005. The Stonehenge Riverside Project: Summary Interim Report 2005.
- SZN3268 - Book: RCHME. 1979. Stonehenge and its Environs. Edinburgh at the University Press. pg.15.
- SZN48203 - Unpublished document: Martin Papworth. 2003. Durrington Walls, Watching Brief on Replacement Gate-posts during renewal of perimeter fence.
- SZN48204 - Bibliographic reference: G. Wainwright & I. Longworth. 1971. Durrington Walls: Excavations 1966-1968. XXIX.
Other Statuses and References
- Area of Archaeological Importance
- HER/SMR Reference (External): SU14SE101
Associated Events
- ENA3068 - Field Survey, Archaeological Survey: Countess Farm (Ref: EWI4795)
- ENA3073 - Archaeological Intervention, Excavations in Advance of Roadworks at Durrington Walls, 1966-68
- ENA3135 - Archaeological Intervention, Watching Brief: gate post replacements, Durrington Walls, 2003
- ENA4710 - Archaeological Intervention, Watching brief: 18 stile and gate post-holes, Old King Barrows, Countess Farm and Durrington Walls, 2007
- ENA9272 - Field Survey, Stonehenge Riverside Project: Resistivity survey at Durrington Walls, 2005
- ENA9275 - Field Survey, Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes: Geophysical Survey, Durrington Walls, Stonehenge Landscape
- ENA10519 - Archaeological Intervention, Stonehenge Riverside Project: Landscape Study, Auger Survey, Geophysical Survey and Excavation at Durrington Walls, 2004
- ENA10851 - Field Survey, Magnetometry survey at Durrington Walls Henge, Wiltshire, January 1996
- ENA10853 - Field Survey, Magnetometry survey at Durrington Walls Henge, Wiltshire, April-May 2003
- ENA10863 - Field Survey, Stonehenge Riverside Project: Magnetometry survey between Durrington Walls Henge and Woodhenge, April 2004
- ENA10528 - Field Survey, Stonehenge Riverside Project: Geophysical surveys at Durrington Walls, Stonehenge Cursus and Avenue, 2006
- ENA10872 - Field Survey, Stonehenge Riverside Project: Geophysical surveys at Durrington Walls, Cuckoo Stone and at the Greater Cursus east end, 2007
- ENA10527 - Archaeological Intervention, Stonehenge Riverside Project: Excavations at Durrington Walls, 2006
Associated Finds
None Recorded
Related Records
None Recorded