Situated to the North East of the Avebury complex is the ancient hill fortification of Windmill Hill. It dates from Neolithic times, and was abandoned just before the Bronze Age of English history.

In ancient times a thriving village community was settled on it, with wooden palisades constructed around the entire fortification, with a jumble of houses and sheds made of wood with clay plastered walls. Standing on its now bare hilltop, you can imagine the small houses with smoke curling skywards, and cooking fires, with people chatting with dogs barking. You can almost touch the past standing here, and taking in the 360 degree country views. On a good day you can just about see the village of Avebury which is about 2000 meters away.

Still today you can see the concentric ditches, which made up part of the enclosure of the camp. A number of objects were discovered in the 1920's, and can now be observed in the Museum.

Windmill Hill was thought to have been used in the warmer months of the year, as bones of lambs and other young animals were found, along with apple pips and Hazelnuts from just after the summer months. A number of round barrows are still present on the top, and date from around the Bronze Age of English history some 4000 years ago.

Stuart Dike

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Mark Fussell & Stuart Dike