The intriguing stones of Winterbourne Monkton

Winterbourne Monkton is a small village in Wiltshire, located about 1 mile north of Avebury Stone Circle in England. Windmill Hill, which is a Neolithic causewayed enclosure from around 3800 BC is also located nearby.

During strengthening work to the bridge near the village church, workmen came across some huge sarsen stones. They had once been put in the ground as part of the bridge foundation. A local historian was able to establish that sarsen stones from an ancient burial mound known as the Mill Barrow were used when the bridge was built. These sarsen stones were removed during the bridge repairs and later placed on a green strip at the side of the main road to form a small henge as a memorial to the Mill Barrow.

There is a large recumbent sarsen stone in the ground of the village church, which is also believed to have been removed from the Mill Barrow.

Walking around the village can reveal more ancient stones scattered in the area. Are these stones also linked to the Mill Barrow? No one knows for sure. But it certainly makes you wonder about the possibility of settlements and places of worship in ancient times in that area.





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