Avebury's Mysteries and Ghostly Whispers
Explore Avebury, a huge Neolithic stone circle village, much bigger than Stonehenge. Discover its ritual history, a haunted pub, and tales of buried secrets. Learn about the Blacksmith and Surgeon-Barber stones, revealing medieval history. Written by Kirsten, Anderson Tours’ Day Tour Manager and Oxford University history student, who recommends the quirky Stonehenge & Avebury tour.
The Neolithic Village of Avebury
We visit this quirky and lesser-known stone circle on our Stonehenge & Avebury and Stonehenge Special Access tours. This is a village inside an ancient neolithic stone circle that is thought to be a fertility site as opposed to Stonehenge which is thought to be a place of burial and ancestor worship. It is fourteen times the size of its more famous neighbour and has a noticeably higher ditch and bank.
Like Stonehenge, Avebury is what archaeologists call a ‘clean’ site and opposed to a ‘dirty’ site. This essentially means they only find traces of rituals and burials rather than evidence of everyday living such as traces of huts and human food and waste. Meaning that these two stone circles were Neolithic religious and ritual centres.
Avebury’s Red Lion pub with a past!
On our tours that feature this location, this is the best place to get lunch, and many people opt for the Red Lion pub. This does a good hearty pub lunch but also has a ghost for good measure. The story goes that centuries ago a landlord of the pub caught his wife Florrie having an affair. They then had a huge argument and in a fit of rage he threw her down the well and now in revenge she stalks the pub. You can actually go into the pub and sit around this well which is now covered in glass. Rest your food and drink above the haunted abyss and chat and dine over this medieval murder scene.
From London: Stonehenge & the Stone Circles of Avebury
From £114
Explore the most visited Stone Circles in the UK on this small group tour! See West Kennet Long Barrow, a large Neolithic tomb and Silbury Hill, the tallest prehistoric man-made mound in Europe. Enjoy lunch at your expense at the Red Lion pub in Avebury.
Sheep & Stone Walks in Avebury
On our day tours we visit Avebury before we go on to Stonehenge where your guide will take you for a walk through the stones and tell you the various stories associated with them. The local farmers let their sheep graze in the various quadrants of the stone circle. This is a good way of keeping the grass under control in the ditch and bank so you may find yourself walking through a flock of sheep amongst the stones, adding to Avebury’s quirkiness.
The Famous Blacksmith Stone Tale of Avebury
One of the first stones is known as the Blacksmith Stone as its shape resembles an anvil. This is due to plain and simple vandalism that took place in the Middle Ages. The stones used in the building of Avebury and Stonehenge are made from the heavy Sarsen stones and set into a landscape that is mainly chalk and flint.
Sarsens are good for building but chalk is not, so in the later medieval era rather than quarry more stone, the villagers began breaking up the stone circle to use as building materials. They would build a fire around the stone to heat it and then throw water on it to cool it quickly and make it crack, eventually breaking it. This means many of the stones are no longer part of the circle but if you look around at the barns and houses you will see them in the walls. So the Blacksmith stone is half of the original standing stone it used to be but at least some of it is still there.
The Surgeon-Barber Stone: Grisly story of fear and Plague
A few stones walk along from the Blacksmith stone is the Surgeon-Barber stone which has a rather grisly story that goes with it. The 14th century was a dramatic time with a lot of upheaval, and it was around this era when the residents of Avebury were ordered by the church to remove the ‘Devil’s Stones’ in their village. The church had deemed these standing stone monuments as Pagan and Satanic and decreed they must be destroyed. The villagers then found themselves in a dilemma; they had to obey the church and remove the stones, but they were terrified the Devil would find out they were destroying their stones and come for them.
They then agreed a compromise and that was to bury them, so they began digging pits at the base of the stones, toppling them in and burying them out of sight. They were happy with this compromise thinking the Devil would not be aware his stones were moved, and the church would see a stone free field and think the job had been done. However, when they toppled this particular stone one of the men doing the digging didn’t get out of the pit in time and was buried under the stone and died.
This terrified the villagers who then assumed the Devil knew what they were doing and had exacted revenge, killing one of the men. After this incident the job of stone burying stopped, and then there followed by a far more devastating event.
The Surgeon-Barber Stone: Plague
In 1348 one of the worst outbreaks of Yersinia Pestis, or the Black Death, consumed the European continent. Around 50% of the population perished meaning that all able-bodied persons had to stop unnecessary labour, such as stone circle destruction, and focus on agricultural work to prevent starvation.
The devastation faced by the people of the 14th century means that today we can still enjoy both Avebury and Stonehenge.
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The Surgeon Many Years in Avebury
In the 1920s a wealthy man called Alexander Keiller bought up the Manor and land at Avebury as he had a keen interest in its ancient history. He learned about the buried stones and set about resurrecting them, digging them up and resetting them where they were supposed to be. Where there once was a stone that had since been broken up, he placed a concrete marker to show where it had stood. He dug up around 50 stones with 37 remaining buried and this included the Surgeon-Barber stone.
When they pulled it up, they found the skeleton of this unfortunate man along with a pouch lying next to him. When they opened it up, they found all the tools of his trade; the scissors, pliers and knives that would have allowed him to pull teeth, amputated limbs and give you a haircut, along with traces of his medicinal vials.
So, six centuries later he was recovered, and his remains sent to London to be housed and analysed. But one night during the Blitz in World War II his second resting location was bombed, and he was once again buried in rubble. It seems like it was his destiny.
Kirsten Neil
Kirsten manages the Anderson Tours’ Scheduled Day Tours bringing experience from her early days as a guide. Her familiarity and interest in the destinations stems from experience and a passion for history, sharpened by taking courses at Oxford University’s Department of Continuing Education. With summer on the horizon, Kirsten recommends the upcoming seasonal tours, such as Glastonbury & Cheddar Gorge, and the lovely quirky Stonehenge & Avebury day trip.
Day trips from London & Private Group Tours
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