North Wessex Downs AONB
The North Wessex Downs AONB is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in southern England. The AONB covers an area of 1731 km2 in Wiltshire, Berkshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire. It is one of the largest AONBs in the country.
The North Wessex Downs AONB was first designated in 1972. The AONB designation means that the area has been recognised as being of national importance in terms of its landscape and wildlife. The North Wessex Downs is a varied landscape of chalk downland, valleys and woodlands. The downland is home to a variety of rare plants and animals, while the valleys provide refuge for wetland birds and other wildlife. The woodlands are an important habitat for deer, badgers and other mammals.
The North Wessex Downs AONB is home to a number of important archaeological sites, including Stonehenge, Avebury stone circle and Silbury Hill. The area also has a rich history of human settlement, dating back to the Bronze Age.
Places to Visit in the North Wessex Downs AONB
Avebury Henge: Avebury Henge is a prehistoric monument located in the North Wessex Downs AONB. The henge is made up of a large circular earthwork, with a diameter of around 330 metres. The earthwork is surrounded by a ditch and bank, and is thought to have been built around 2500 BC.
Avebury Henge is one of the most famous prehistoric monuments in the world, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The henge is open to the public all year round, and there are a number of guided tours available.
West Kennet Long Barrow: West Kennet Long Barrow is a Neolithic tomb located in the North Wessex Downs AONB. The barrow is made up of a long, narrow passage, with chambers at either end. The barrow is thought to have been built around 3650 BC.
West Kennet Long Barrow is open to the public all year round, and there are a number of guided tours available.
Barbury Castle: Barbury Castle is an Iron Age hillfort located in the North Wessex Downs AONB. The fort was built around 500 BC, and consists of a series of earthworks and defensive walls.
Barbury Castle is open to the public all year round, and there are a number of guided tours available.
Parts or all of North Wessex Downs AONB are in the counties of Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Bedfordshire.
Barbury Castle Country Park
An amazing country park near Swindon in Wiltshire that is centred on an ancient hillfort on the North Wessex Downs.
Barbury Castle
Barbary Castle is an ancient hillfort together with an adjacent bowl barrow.
Avebury Manor
16th Century Avebury Manor is owned by the National Trust and has just undergone a major transformation. Furniture and objects have been recreated or restored by modern craftsmen – with the added challenge of having to be able to withstand the rigours of life as a National Trust house open to the public.
Avebury
Avebury in Wiltshire is a small village at the centre of the biggest prehistoric henge monument and stone circle complex in the UK. The village also features a variety of craft shops, bookshops and a museum. There is also the newly refurbished Avebury Manner, a historic stately home.
Silbury Hill
Silbury Hill is a large, man-made prehistoric mound of unknown purpose. There are many legends about Silbury Hill, one of the more well-known being that there is a life-size gold statue of an ancient king on his horse buried within the mound.
The Sanctuary
In 1930, the location was re-discovered from Stukeley’s illustrations and the site was excavated. Further excavation, carried out in 1999, revealed a more complex sequence of construction and use than previously thought.
West Kennet Long Barrow
West Kennet Long Barrow is a Neolithic burial mound dating back about 5,500 years. It is one of the largest and best-preserved examples of a chambered tomb in southern England.# West Kennet Long Barrow Entrance
Cherhill White Horse
The Cherhill White Horse is a large chalk-figure of a horse, cut around 1780 and once one of thirteen white horses in Wiltshire.
Lansdowne Monument
The Lansdowne monument is a stone obelisk, which was erected in 1845 by the 3rd Marquis of Lansdowne in memory of the physician and surveyor Sir William Petty.
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