| Summary : Durrington Walls, a Later Neolithic henge enclosure of roughly oval shape measuring circa 490 metres northwest-southeast and 470 metres northeast-southwest, defined by a ditch with external bank. The bank and ditch enclose a small dry valley which leads down to the River Avon (which lies to the south east). There are two opposed entrances, one on the western side, the other on the east. Ploughing has levelled much of the circuit, and the main visible earthworks are massive lynchets which broadly follow the line of the enclosure bank and ditch. Excavations occurred on a small scale in 1917 and in the early 1950s. In 1966-8, re-routing of the A345 through the enclosure led to the excavation of a north-south transect across the eastern half of the enclosure. As well as confirming the broadly later Neolithic date of the earthwork and a strong association with Grooved Ware, evidence for considerable earlier, 4th millennium BC activity was encountered as well as some later, Early Bronze Age (Beaker) and Iron Age activity. The principal features associated with the henge itself were two timber structures: a Southern Circle, situated close to the eastern entrance and which comprised a series of concentric circles of timber posts, associated with an artefact-strewn 'platform' and a midden; and a less-well preserved Northern Circle, again represented by concentric arrangements of post holes, but this time approached by parallel rows of timber posts and "screened" by a facade or fenceline of posts. Although the excavator, Wainwright, has interpreted these circles as roofed buildings, they are generally interpreted as freestanding concentric arrangements of upright timbers. Geophysical survey in the interior of Durrington Walls to the west of the road has revealed evidence for further structures, some of them also circular. |
More information : (SU 15014375) Durrington Walls (NR). (1)
A Class II henge, the largest in Britain, measuring 1720 ft from N-S, and 1470 ft from E-W. It is unusual in that it encloses a combe. First noted by Hoare in 1812, no account was written until 1928 and the first plan, based on air photos, was produced by Crawford in 1929.
The NE sector is the best preserved, with a wide bank and ditch though both are much smoothed down by ploughing. The entrances are in the E and W. The E entrance has clubbed terminal banks; the W entrance is marked by a 10 ft lynchet. A pipe trench across the earthwork in 1950-51 and small excavations in 1952 located E.I.A. pits and showed the bank in the NE to be 90ft wide at the base with a 34ft wide berm.
In advance of re-alignment of the A 325 excavations were undertaken in 1966 and 1967 for the MPBW.
The 1966 excavations were largely confined to a section across the bank and ditch in the N and an area outside the southern perimeter of the henge. The bank was found to have been reduced to a 49ft wide base and the berm widened to 115ft as a result of ploughing. Although the original berm was probably of variable width it was unlikely to have been less than 60-70ft. The ditch, flat bottomed, was 41ft wide at the top and 18ft deep. Very little pottery was found but rusticated Beaker, Ebbesfleet sherds, B.A. and I.A. material were recovered from silts, and antler picks from the bottom of the ditch.
200ft S of the henge a sub-rectangular timber structure 54ft x 30ft produced Grooved Ware and domestic rubbish in the post-holes. The structure may well have been purely domestic and not of a ritualistic nature.
In 1967 a wide area was stripped of top-soil from N-S across the henge. In the Southern sector the bank was found to have had a base 100ft wide & a berm 100ft. wide. The ditch terminal and causewayed entrance were excavated. The ditch was 59ft wide, 20ft deep, and had a flat bottom 22 ft wide. Much Grooved Ware was recovered from the primary silt and 57 antler picks were found on the bottom of the ditch.
90ft NW of the causeway were the post-holes of a complex circular timber structure of Woodhenge type. This was of three periods: four roughly concentric circles in the first phase; five circles in the second phase and a single enclosing circle, 127ft. across, in the last phase. All were of late Neolithic period and were cut across in the southern sector by a late I.A. palisade trench.
A Neolithic hut floor, surrounded by stake-holes, was found a little to the NE of the timber circles. The pottery from this hut contained a higher proportion of beaker ware than that recovered from the henge.
A second henge was located in the northern crest of the combe, the first phase consisting of a double timber circle and an avenue, the second phase a double circle and a facade.
Durrington Walls is seen as a ceremonial enclosure of the late Neolithic and Beaker period. c.2000 BC. (2-3)
The southern part of Durrington Walls enclosure has been ploughed out although the line of the bank, much spread, can be traced on air photographs. Around the west and north a lynchet from 2.0m to 4.0m high represents the inner face of the bank. It has however been formed partly by agricultural activity and overlies the NW entrance at SU 14854384. The best preserved part of the perimeter bank and inner ditch is that at the NE from SU 15174388 to the clubbed entrance terminal at SU 15214364. In this section the ditch averaged 0.5m deep, and the bank 2.0m high on the inner face and 1.0m high on the outer face.
OS 1:2500 survey revised. (4)
The excavations carried out during the 1950s and 1960s have revealed that the earliest occupation predated the construction of the henge, and has been C14 dated to the middle of the third millennium bc and the construction of the enclosure bank and ditch dating to the second millennium bc. Two large timber structures, each with several phases of construction were excavated. The larger of the two was situated within the southeast entrance, the other was situated to the north and approached by an avenue. A geophysical survey and air photographs show traces of other timber structures, some circular, within the interior. (5-6)
Recent interpretations of the site have been discussed by Barrett. (7)
Additional references. (8-16)
The henge monument is visible as a very slight earthwork and as a cropmark on aerial photographs, and has been mapped by both RCHME's Salisbury Plain Training Area NMP and EH's Stonehenge WHS Mapping Project, although the photographic evidence does not provide detailed information. (17-18)
The Stonehenge Riverside Project carried out excavations near the Southern Circle and found the remains of 9 small houses surrounded by layers of animal bone and pottery. These are thought to be part of a much larger settlement surrounding the Southern CIrcle, perhaps as many as 1000 houses originally. If so, this was the largest known Neolithic village in northern Europe. (19-20) |