West Kennet Long Barrow

West Kennet Long Barrow is part of the Avebury complex of Neolithic sites.

The tomb is thought to have been constructed around 3500BC, in use for a thousand years, then sealed with chalk rubble, and the gigantic sarcen boulders that now guard the entrance. This was at the same time as the great stone circle at Avebury was begun, and may signify a change in the focus of belief and religion.

The barrow was a long cold walk through grazing paddocks which were 'stodgie' apparently an English term for sludgy, muddy and slippery. The site was quite a bit larger than I expected it to be, I didn't have to bend over to get into the chamber, but then again I'm not that tall. Once inside the odour told me that the local sheep had been using the site for shelter. It was mind boggling to think that in similar environmental conditions in 3500BC Neolithic men dug out this mound /cave and utilised this space. I'm left wondering as I usually do when visiting historic or pre-historic sites, 'what exactly was their motivation? What were they thinking whilst conducting such a large architectural undertaking?' I think what's cool about it all is that we'll never know for sure, answers to these questions may forever remain in the realm of the imagination.