West Woods and the Sarsen Stones

West Woods is a beautiful former ancient woodland site in the English county of Wiltshire. This area once contained a large amount of sarsen stones, but most of them have been broken up and removed. West Woods became famous as the source of most of the sarsen stones used to build Stonehenge.

The sarsen stones are scattered across the woodland and they have been recorded by the archaeologists since 2007. One of the stones is known as the Polisher Stone (Polissoir). The stone contains grooved markings and has evidence of being used for shaping, whetting and polishing stone axes by older civilizations.

The Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society conducted a series of surveys which revealed considerable detail about the area and its surroundings. Evidence suggests that the woods have been visited by humans during different time periods including the Mesolithic, Neolithic and post-Medieval periods.

West Woods is located near the market town of Marlborough. The woods are best enjoyed during spring, when bluebells cover the forest ground.




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