Woodhenge
We never knew that Woodhenge existed. Stonehenge, of course, who doesn't, but mere meters down the road is another ancient wonder, six rings made of wood pillars. Or at least they used to be timber posts.
The posts have been replaced with concrete markers in the holes where the timber posts used to be. They've been helpfully painted with chalk paint on their tops to make their positions clear to those viewing from the ground. The view of the full Henge from above must be spectacular. In the centre is some form of alter where several people have left offerings in the forms of gems, stones, and shells.
Originally called Dough Cover, the Henge was thought to be a Disc Barrow following discovery in the 19th century, back then it was described as simply an Earthwork. Identified again by Pilot Gilbert Insall, VC, in 1926, archaeological aerial surveying then took place the same year and it wasnt until the dig between this year and 1929 that it was actually confirmed as a Henge.
Pottery found in the dig dates Woodhenge back to Neolithic times specifically mid to late period, some remnants were even dated in the early Bronze Age. The ditch has been dated as around the same time as Stonehenge nearby although it is thought that construction and the timber were from slightly earlier.
The Cunnington duo who excavated in 1926 discovered a child buried in the centre of the circles. The skull was found split leading to the belief that this child was a sacrifice due to the placement, means of death, and significance of the Henge. Theories over the years have tried to argue this voicing that pressure from the soil over time could have caused the damage to the skull of the child, but the remains were destroyed in London during the Blitz so either theory cannot be proved.
Opposite the entrance on the east side of the site, Cunnington also discovered the crouched remains of a teenager. As far as we can tell from our research, there are only these two graves at the site (now empty) which leads to our own opinion that this wasnt a sacrificial monument or a burial site. We cant find any information on the age of the remains found, so they could have predated the rings, been placed during construction, post construction, or even many years after the site already stood. This could have been murder and a hiding of the body/ies at different times, a significant burial site for a settlement who moved on, or as Maud Cunnington first stated, a sacrifice. We just struggle with the sacrificial point considering there are two graves and the placement of the teenager is not inkeeping with this theory, especially as the child was discovered in the placement of the 'altar stone'.
In 2020 a study by Gaffney et al published in the journal Antiquity revealed a large ring of pits near Durrington Walls which was previously unknown. This study theorises that Woodhenge was part of a larger ceremonial complex which included both this unknown site near Durrington Walls and Stonehenge.
A theory by Ronald Hutton in 2013 was put forward that Woodhenge was simply a wooden counterpart to nearby Stonehenge in order to compliment the sacred landscape. The similarities between the two sites would support this and Maud Cunnington also found evidence of a pair of standing stones, although in 2006 it was discovered that there were at least 5 standing stones in similar placements of the Bluestones at Stonehenge which further support Mr Hutton's belief.
We reckon that perhaps too much religious significance has been put onto these sites to the point that every burial found was a sacrifice or every site was a solstice altar. It hasnt been proven that the pottery found was for food consumption or storage. With this in mind, Lauren theorises that the pottery could have been Neolithic Urns. We know that Norse tradition was to have funeral monuments similar to the rings found at these Henges. With this in mind Lauren thinks that perhaps these monuments were just the Neolithic version to honour the dead and perhaps the burials there were either unrelated or royalty hence the special burial if the Urns theory can be disproved..
To throw a shadow on that theory however, is the findings of butchered pig bones at Woodhenge indicating feasting. As there is a lack of this sort of evidence at Stonehenge it is widely theorised that Stonehenge was for spiritual habitation whereas Woodhenge was for the living. Perhaps just a settlement. This goes hand in hand with the speculation that the two Henges were complimentary to each other, perhaps a way for the living to match with the spirits. This would align with one being of wood and one of stone as stone is the more spiritual material.
We were one of only two families to be visiting Woodhenge at around 11.30am on a warm, yet lightly rainy Monday morning in May. We spent around half an hour here walking the circumference of the ditch and then in between the rings and around the centre stone. While there isn't much to see here aside from the ground view of the rings, the landscape is beautiful and it has some information points regarding the nearby sites such as the big one, Stonehenge.
During our visit the morning haze hand't quite burnt off as the sun was barely peaking out of the clouds. This gave a very ethereal feel to the whole site and the surrounding quiet just added to it. It reminded us of our visit to Byland Abbey and the rolling countryside fighting to reclaim us either side. This was a similar vibe, the idea of something more haunting the very ground we walked on, just that no one knows what that something more was. For all we know it was a sacrificial point and spirits were summoned and we've blundered through with our pupper who's peeing up nearby fence posts. You never know what sort of spirits are looking on and thinking 'charming, I've died and haunted this spot just for that couple to take a few photos and have their Chow kick dirt at me'.
Is it worth the visit? Absolutely. Woodhenge is so far overshadowed by its cousin Stonehenge that barely anyone knows of its existence which is quite sad. Yeah, Stonehenge is made of stone and higher, but in the grandscheme of things there isn't a massive amount to see there either. Woodhenge is peaceful, calming, and gives a little buzz of an otherworldly connection where is seems quite isolated and no one knows what it was actually for.
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