Avebury Manor Now Open Following Flood Restoration

Due to flooding in January 2024 of the ground floor, the Manor had to close to allow repairs. This is not the first time the Manor has been hit by floods but not on the scale seen this time. The estate offices, next to the Manor back out on to fields which frequently become lakes after heavy rain. Indeed in recent years the estate offices have seen their fair share of water ingress.

It is was hoped the Manor would have reopened in time for Christmas 2025, unfortunately that was not the case. It is now hoped to reopen in the spring of this year - 2026, with a new theme since the BBC project has since been removed. Just what that new theme will look like, is a closely guarded secret.

I am pleased to announce the Manor is now open, with a new look. Gone are all BBC fittings and decor. Now the Manor is empty with just information boards in all rooms. Upstairs has, dare I say it, become a play area for kids. 

Feedback has been generally positive from those visitors who never saw the BBC project. However, those that did have given varied feedback, from not as good to it's okay.

The BBC At Avebury Manor

I was surprised to discover just how few people were blissfully unaware of Avebury Manors‘ existence, prior that is to the BBC makeover and the subsequent television program that followed - ‘The Manor Reborn.’ Strange when you consider the Manor lies within a stones-throw of a magnificent World Heritage site which attracts some 400,000 visitors annually. It was almost as if The National Trust (who acquired the Manor in 1991 from the official receivers following the bankruptcy of entrepreneur - Kenneth King) wanted to keep this little jewel in the Wiltshire countryside a secret.

Following the departure of the last tenant in 2009, which effectively left the Manor pretty much devoid of furniture and fittings, is was quite clear that something had to be done. Avebury Manor was making little money and the cost of maintaining it had to be addressed PDQ. It was decided to open it fully to the public 2009/10 and theme each room as if an imaginary family were in the throws of “moving out.” To achieve this scenario, several packing-cases were placed in empty rooms and a selection of objects (crockery and the like) were positioned in such a way as to give the impression of...well, moving out.

In 2010 the BBC contacted The National Trust with a proposal. They were looking for an empty country house. The plan was to historically style, redecorate and furnish several rooms relevant to whichever property was chosen. In the running were Barrington Court in Somerset and Seaton Delaval Northumberland, both worthy contenders. Avebury Manor was eventually selected by series producer - Kate Shiers, who wanted ‘somewhere where people could imagine living’. Well the Manor is certainly that now but I wonder, did the proximity to a World Heritage site possibly have influence Kate's final decision? After all, where better to showcase such a splendid project.

So, nine rooms were selected which when completed would ‘reflect’ periods and people in the Manor’s 450 year history, from Tudor, Georgian, Queen Anne, Edwardian and the early 20th century. Also earmarked for a Ground Force type makeover, was the neglected Victorian Wall Kitchen Garden. All this had to be completed in just six short months and on a budget of just £250,000 - phew! The final details were agreed by both parties and work commenced in April 2011.

It was a new twist, well, new for the National Trust that is. For at Avebury Manor, unlike the majority of other Trust properties, you were positively encouraged to interact with all of the furniture and objects, the only exception being the exquisite Chinese wallpaper in the Dining Room which has been beautifully hand painted using water-based paints, a “no touching” policy exists here.

You would have found no thistles on chairs, no antiques, unless you class the beautifully restored (by Hubble Sports) late 19th century three-quarter size mahogany billiard table and the marvelous 1904 E.A Clarke of Liverpool range in the kitchen, the latter saved by Neville Griffiths from a house in the Wirral earmarked for demolition. What you will find are carefully researched period replicas of furnishings and fittings which have been lovingly created by a team of expert craftsmen who were commissioned for the project by series designer Russell Sage. Presenters Dan Cruickshank and Dr. Anne Whitelock contributed their extensive knowledge of architecture and historic design respectively and worked closely with The National Trust‘s curatorial staff to ensure historic accuracy. Finally, Wessex Archaeology were appointed to carry out a historic buildings survey. They took the opportunity to implement a dendrochronology analysis of tree rings in timbers to date parts of the building. Results from examining a lintel beam in the kitchen, revealed a felling date of around 1555 - 1580 for this part of the house.

All this of course has been mothballed following the flood of 2025, as per the previous post.The Manor is still undergoing extensive repair work. 

The “Avebury Manor Experience” was like no other, it was a refreshing break from tradition for the National Trust and who knows, in view of its success, it may open the door for similar projects in the future, I do hope so.

Avebury Manor Timeline

1114 - Benedictine priory founded on the site.

1378 - Priory is dissolved, a succession of chaplains take charge.

1411 - Priory passes into the hands of Fotherinhay College.

1545 - Fotheringhay College relinquishes ownership of the estate for other lands. The estate passes to the Crown.

1547 - The Crown grants Sir William Sharington of Lacock Abbey, ownership of the estate.

1551 - William Dunch, Auditor of the Royal Mint, buys the estate for £2000. The existing house is newly rebuilt between 1555-1580.

1581 - The Manor passes to William Dunch’s son, Walter.

1594 - Walter predeceased his father.

1595 - William Dunch’s widowed daughter-in-law, Debora and her second husband, Sir James Mervyn - High Sheriff of Wiltshire, become outright owners of Avebury Manor. Dovecot dispute saw Richard Truslowe defeated.

1640 - Sir John Stawell of Cothelstone buys Avebury Manor for £8,500 from Debora’s son William, named after his grandfather. Stawell is imprisoned at the end of the Civil War. Avebury is sequestered by Parliament.

1652 - Avebury sold to George Long but later reverts back to Sir John Stawell on the restoration of King Charles II in 1660. Sir John’s son, then grandson inherit.

1694 - Sir Richard Holford, Master in Chancery, buys Avebury for £7,500.

1718 - Sir Richard Holford dies and leaves Avebury Manor to his widow Suzanna.

1722-1742 - Various sons of the Holford’s inherit Avebury: Samuel, Richard, Staynor and finally half-brother Arthur Jones.

1789 - Arthur Jones dies, passing the Manor to his chosen successor, Ann (Nanny) Williamson. Her husband, Colonel Adam Williamson, who was made Governor of Jamaica.

1798 - 'Sir' Adam Williamson dies suddenly at Avebury. The Manor passes to Richard Jones, Arthur Jones’s nephew from the 1742 era.

1816 - The Kemm family move in as tenant farmers.

1873 - The Jones family sell the Manor to brewer and politician Sir Henry Meux.

1883 - Ownership passes to Sir Henry’s son, also Henry. The Kemms’ remain as tenants till 1902.

1889 - Thomas Kemm dies at 83 leaving his two unmarried daughters, Everdell and Marian as tenants of the estate.

1900 - Sir Henry Meux junior dies.

1902 - The Kemm daughters move to Yorkshire, relinquishing their tenancy.

1902 - Sir Henry Meux’s widow lets the estate to Lt-Colonel Leopold and Nora Jenner.

1907 - The Jenners’ buy the estate from Sir Henry Meux’s widow. They lovingly restore the Manor adding the West Library c1920.

1920 - The Jenners’ sell Avebury Manor ‘farm’ to J Peake-Garland but retain the Manor.

1929 - Having lost money in overseas investments the Jenners’ are forced to lease Avebury Manor to the Benson family. The Jenners’ move to Bath, never to return other than to be buried side-by-side in St.James church Avebury.

1935 - The Jenners’ lease the Manor to Alexander Keiller.

1937 - Alexander Keiller buys Avebury Manor from the Jenners’ and establishes the Morven Institute of Archaeological Research.

1942 - The Morven Institute is disbanded and much of Keiller’s property, including the stone circle is sold to the National Trust for £12,000; the Trust declines to buy the Manor deeming it too expensive.

1955 - The Manor is sold to Sir Francis Knowles, a research biologist. Keiller dies at his home in Kingston Surrey. His widow Gabrielle, donates the Avebury museum and his collection to the nation in 1966.

1974 - Sir Francis Knowles dies.

1976 - Sir Francis Knowles widow, Lady Knowles, sells the Manor to Michael Brudenell-Bruce, 8th Marquess of Ailesbury.

1981 - The Brudenell-Bruces’ return to their ancestral home in Savernake Forest selling the Manor to Mr and Mrs Nevill-Glidden.

1988 - Entrepreneur, Kenneth King buys the Manor for £1 million with plans to turn it into an ‘Elizabethan Experience’ causing much local controversy.

1991 - The National Trust buys the Manor from the Official Receivers after Kenneth King is declared bankrupt. The Manor is leased to a private tenant on the understanding it must remain open to the public for a limited time.

2009 - Tenants lease expires and is not renewed. Manor is left empty but open to the public.

2010 - The BBC approaches The National Trust.

2011 - The BBC and The National Trust agree to an extensive themed makeover for the Manor and kitchen garden.

2012 - The Avebury Manor Project opens.

Sources:

Avebury Manor Archives
British History Online
The Manor Reborn by Siân Evans, a The National Trust publication
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Wessex Archaeology

Wiltshire Landscape Walk

Volunteers and staff stop off at Silbury Hill

An informative and enjoyable evening was had by volunteers and staff for Chris Penny’s Wiltshire Landscape Walk on 10^th July. Stopping off at Silbury Hill, Wadden Hill and the West Kennet Avenue, culminated in a well deserved pint at The Red Lion pub. Could not have wished for a better evening; very warm.

Thanks to Chris Penny - Volunteers Coordinator. Very interesting mate.

Avebury: All in a Year’s Work

Avebury and the National Trust,

For ever, for everyone is a must.

Look at all the tasks we do,

Some of them may surprise you.


In the car park, help find a gap,

Sell a ticket, offer a map.

“What’s there to see? We have time to kill.”

A common question, “What’s Silbury Hill?”


In the Museum there are tickets to sell,

Guide books, maps and tours as well.

This is the place for directions too.

The first question often is “Where’s the loo?!”


Down to the farmyard, and into the Barn,

Everyone enjoys a really good yarn.

Family activities, bug hunts and trails,

Gather the kids for poems and tales.


In the Stables, directions they need.

Hunger for knowledge we love to feed,

Explain the objects in their cases.

Brighten their day, bring smiles to their faces.


Tours of the stone circles take an hour,

Surrounded by the bank, the height does tower.

Tales of destruction, masonry they pillage,

Used to construct buildings of the village.


During the summer season, on the garden gate,

We sit and admire flowers while we wait,

To greet the visitors to the Manor Reborn,

Through the gate and across the lawn.


Within the Manor, tales we tell,

Of Keiller and Jenner, Dunch as well.

Tours, room guides or conservation clean.

Decorate for Christmas, we’re all extra keen.


In the Tea Room and café, dishes to take,

Back to the kitchen, cakes to bake.

Laying the tables, posh china looks nice,

Cut the cake, mine’s a large slice!


In the garden, pulling weeds,

Taking cuttings and sewing seeds.

Topiary trimmed, then the yew hedge,

Mow the lawns and harvest the veg.


Come wind, rain or shine, we show the way,

Ensuring visitors enjoy their day.

All this work needs blood, sweat and tears.

And all freely given by our volunteers.


So if you have enjoyed this little rhyme,

And you could spare some regular time,

Please come and see us, email or phone,

Our staff cannot do it all on their own!
　

　
A poem by Michele

Curatorial and House Assistant

Avebury Manor Tearoom

Image credit Richard Bradshaw

Voted best National Trust tearoom 2012; The Manor tearoom, originally the West Library,was built for Lt. Col. & Mrs. Nora Jenner in the early 20^th century. It offers a relaxing atmosphere, table service, teas, coffee and a wide selection of cakes.

However, it is unfortunate of late that the tearoom is closed more often than it is open. I would suggest the Trust put their hands in their pockets and employ staff rather than relying on volunteers, not to say volunteers are unreliable.

Avebury Manor - A Brief History

Avebury Manor dates from around the mid 16th century, recently confirmed by a dendrochronology analysis carried out by Wessex Archaeology. Samples taken from a ceiling lintel beam in the kitchen (the oldest part of the house) showed a felling date of between 1555 - 1580. The land the Manor occupies however is considerably older and in all probability had monastic connections.  There have been few excavations of note but those that have been permitted, have revealed several small finds which would indicate the site to have been occupied for at least a thousand years.

Earliest records of a building in the vicinity date from 1114, when King Henry I granted the estate to his chamberlain William de Tancarville, who in that same year gifted it to the Benedictine French abbey of St Georges de Boscherville, Rouen, Normandy. A priory house, probably made of timber, was established soon afterwards and may have stood close to where the current Manor is now situated. The priory was a small unit, just a few monks eking out a simple existence raising sheep and farming the land.

In 1378, England was at war with France which ultimately spelled expunction for the monastic order at Avebury. The last prior to leave Avebury was Stephen Fosse in 1379. Fosse was one of many monks expelled from England during that year. A succession of chaplains took charge of the priory until it finally passed into the hands of Fotheringhay College in 1411.

In 1547, following the Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536-1541) the College exchanged the estate for other lands. The Crown took possession of the estate and granted ownership to Sir William Sharington who had recently purchased Lacock Abbey. At some point the priory was demolished or possibly remodelled leaving a small lay house.

In 1551, wealthy businessman, courtier and Auditor to the Royal Mint - William Dunch, purchased the house and estate form Sharington. Recent evidence now points to the Dunches’ being largely responsible for rebuilding a new house between 1555 and 1580.

In 1601 the east range was extended by Sir James and Mrs Debora Mervyn adding the south range and ornate porch over which are engraved their initials.

In 1740 Richard Holford (grandson of Sir Richard Holford) remodelled the Great Hall in the south range and the bedchamber above it inline with the latest fashions. The original stone gables (noted from a drawing in 1723 by William Stukeley) were removed by Holford to allow the construction of a deep coved ceiling which would later become known as the Queen Anne Bedroom. Queen Anne is believed to have visited the Manor during her reign, though the ceiling would have been in its original form at that time.

The final alteration came in the early 1900s when Lt-Colonel Leopold and Mrs Nora Jenner added the west library. In addition they landscaped the gardens introduced Yew and Box topiary.

Sarsen and limestone were used primarily for most of the building projects. It is likely, though not certain, that the sarsen stone would have come from the Avebury henge at a time when the stones were of little interest other than for building material.

Over its 450 year history, Avebury Manor has commanded significant importance in the village, surrounded by high boundary walls and formal gateways. Although not the most prestigious of country houses, it still retains an air of opulence with its impressive gables, deep mullion windows, tall imposing chimneys and beautiful topiaried gardens.

The Saturday Crew

Gallery

 

Sir John Stawell (1600 -1663)

Tomb of Sir John Stawell and wife Elizabeth

Sir John Stawell (1599/1600-1662)

Stawell, Sir John, staunch royalist army officer, born in Cothelstone in Somerset, second of four children and heir of Sir John Stawell (d. 1603) and his wife, Elizabeth (d. 1662), daughter of George Touchet, earl of Castlehaven, who later married (1604) Sir Thomas Griffin of Dingley in Northamptonshire. A king's ward during his minority, Stawell was educated at the Queen's College, Oxford, where he matriculated on 25 October 1616. He married on 9 December 1617 Elizabeth (d. 1657), daughter of Sir Edward Hext (d. 1624) and widow of Sir Joseph Killigrew (d. 1616). They had two daughters and nine sons, including John, Edward, and George, all of whom fought for the king in the civil war, and Ralph, who was created Lord Stawell of Somerton in 1683.

Sir John Stawell, who was first elected MP for Somerset in 1625, was again returned both in 1640 for the Long Parliament and in 1661 for the Cavalier Parliament. An energetic leader in the county, he served as a justice (from 1620), deputy lieutenant (from 1625), and sheriff (1628–9), acting also as a member of various county commissions. He was knighted at the coronation of Charles I (1626) and praised for employing himself ‘heartily in the service’, despite suffering ‘envy, reproaches and the raking of ill tongues’ (CSP dom., 1625–6, 445).

Stawell was a man of mediocre ability, whose interest in chemistry and medicine led him to believe that eating breakfast was bad for the digestion. His irritable temper and impulsive behaviour frequently led him to overstep the mark in county politics, particularly in his support of Lord John Poulett's bitter feud with Sir Robert Phelips. He was, for instance, accused in 1627 of vindictive use of power in pressing into army service the bailiff of Phelips's closest ally; and in 1628 of interfering with not only the Taunton election, by using troops to intimidate the corporation, but also the county election, by physically and verbally abusing the sheriff (for which he was fined £200 in Star Chamber). He twice reported Phelips to the council, once for questioning the legality of trained band musters (1628) and later for undermining the sheriff's collection of ship money (1636). After Stawell had been censured on the first occasion for falsifying evidence and on the second for raising frivolous charges, the king urged both antagonists to work harmoniously together in future for the royal cause.

Both Stawell and Poulett (to whom he was totally subservient) had long since professed to champion the king's service, though their support was tempered by self-interest. Their real objective was to gain supremacy in Somerset, not through courting popular support within the county (as did Phelips), but by achieving status at court. Stawell's underlying indifference to the king's interest before the civil war was illustrated by his readiness to abandon it whenever he became wary of county hostility: hence his lukewarm support for the king's plan to drain and enclose Sedgemoor in the 1630s and his refusal to act as deputy lieutenant in 1640 in halting mass desertions and disorders in the army bound for Scotland.

Nevertheless Stawell's personal contribution to war service was impressive. In 1639 he contributed £100 towards the cost of the expedition to Scotland, followed by a bond for £1000 to help secure the 1640 loan. A man of considerable wealth, who purchased Avebury Manor in 1640 for £8000 and generously helped to fund the king's war effort in 1642 by raising large numbers of troops at his own expense. In March of that year he absented himself from the Commons, before accompanying the marquess of Hertford into the west with the king's commission of array in July, for which he was disabled from sitting in parliament on 8 August. Having joined Hertford at the royalist headquarters in Wells (28 July), he intercepted and routed John Pyne's parliamentary force at Marshall's Elm, near Street, on 4 August, before eventually retreating into Cornwall with Sir Ralph Hopton in September. In 1643 Stawell was appointed not only governor of Taunton (5 June), but also a king's commissioner for Somerset—duties which saw him granted leave of absence from the Cavalier Parliament in Oxford. In 1644 he played a leading part in the king's recruitment drive on King's Moor, near Ilchester, on 23 July, and later launched his peace campaign with a petition to the king at Sturminster Newton in September—a campaign he revived in Oxford a year later under the slogan ‘One and all’. His sincere but naïve plan was that the king should win over the country, weary of his soldiers' oppressions, by putting himself as peacemaker at the head of a popular movement—whereupon thousands of substantial countrymen would accompany a peace petition to parliament. The scheme, however, was twice rejected in favour of renewed military pressure. On 21 July 1645 his regiment fought in vain to save Bridgwater from the New Model Army, before Stawell himself fled to Exeter, which he helped to defend against siege (28 October 1645 – 9 April 1646). Whatever his limitations as a military commander, he was praised by Clarendon as a person of ‘notorious courage and fidelity’ (Clarendon, Hist. rebellion, 4.426).

After the fall of Exeter Stawell was taken to London (15 July 1646), hoping to compound under the terms of the Exeter articles. When, however, he appeared before the committee for compounding on 4 August, he refused to subscribe to the national covenant or take the negative oath; and he was committed by the Commons a prisoner at Newgate for high treason nine days later. Although his intended trial at the Somerset assizes never took place, he was finally removed to the Tower of London in July 1650 and tried by the high court on 17 December. The court, however, gave no judgment, referring his case back instead to parliament (April 1651), where it remained undetermined. Although he was briefly given parole (25 May 1653) his estates had been sold in 1651 for about £64,000. His wife and children were permitted to live in the ruined Cothelstone Manor, receiving a fifth part of his income for support (about £500 per annum). Stawell frequently petitioned parliament about the injustice of his treatment, but without success. Although he remained a prisoner until May 1660 he regained his estates in full after the Restoration. His re-election to parliament in April 1661 was, however, short-lived. Broken in health through years of close confinement, he died on 21 February 1662 at Netherham. He is buried on 23rd April in St. Thomas of Canterbury Church which is in the grounds of Cothelstone Manor.

John Wroughton (edited by Willow)
Sources:  G. D. Stawell, A Quantock family: the Stawells of Cothelstone (1910) · T. G. Barnes, Somerset, 1625–1640: a county’s government during the personal rule (1961) · Keeler, Long Parliament · S. W. Bates Harbin, Members of parliament for the county of Somerset (1939) · Proceedings of the Somersetshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, 78–85 (1932–9), suppl. · D. Underdown, Somerset in the civil war and interregnum (1973) · D. Underdown, Revel, riot and rebellion: popular politics and culture in England, 1603–1660 (1985) · DNB · Diary of Walter Yonge, ed. G. Roberts, CS, 41 (1848) · Diary of Thomas Burton, ed. J. T. Rutt, 4 vols. (1828) · Clarendon, Hist. rebellion, vols. 2–4 · JHC, 4–7 (1644–59) · JHL, 9 (1646–7) · CSP dom., 1625–31; 1633–4; 1636–7; 1656–61 · M. J. Rawkins, ed., Sale of wards in Somerset, 1603–41, Somerset RS, 67 (1965) · will, TNA: PRO, PROB 11/307, sig. 43 · sentence, TNA: PRO, PROB 11/333, sig. 112 · will, TNA: PRO, PROB 11/334, sig. 145.

It would seem that Sir John is reluctant to leave Avebury Manor, for it is the aptly named Cavalier Bedroom, now the Withdrawing Room (renamed for the BBC project) where his ghost has been seen gazing out of the south window which overlooks the gardens. He has also been spotted standing quite motionless to the left of the fireplace. He is described as being solid in appearance, just like you or I and suited in the finery of a Cavalier of the time. A melancholy figure by all accounts, who, when encountered, appears to be weeping. Some say his arrival is often preceded by the fragrant smell of roses. During that period, rosewater was often used to disguise body odour, as personal hygiene was yet to establish itself. Sir John is said to have adored his garden and spent a lot of time strolling therein, which may also account for reports of his ghost being seen thereabouts

Source: hauntedwiltshire.blogspot.com


The Cavalier Bedroom

Avebury Barn Visitor Centre

The lovely old thresher barn, which is at the heart of the 'Avebury Experience' and a popular visitor attraction and information centre, is in desparate need of a new thatch.  Some £80,000 will have to be found before work can commence. 

Credits: Jo Mortimer, narration. (1945-2013) 
            Keith Wills, camera.

Wiltshire Landscapes - Avebury Standing Stones

Avebury (South Quadrants)

I think it would be remiss of me not to include why the vast majority of people visit Avebury - not its Manor but it's standing stones.

The Neolithic stone circles at Avebury are believed to have been constructed between 2600-2400BC. Many of the sarsen stones that make up the three circles within the henge (a circular area, often containing standing stones or sometimes wooden posts, dating from the Neolithic and Bronze Age) would most likely have been relatively close at hand, lying on top, or partly buried within the chalk landscape. Others would have been dragged on wooden rollers (logs) supporting sledges greased with animal fat, no mean feat when you consider some of them exceed 40 tonnes or more. Once in position they would have been hoisted into place using leather straps in a pre-prepared pit, where wooden stakes were driven into the ground opposite the stone to prevent it from over balancing. Once upright the stone's base would have been packed with more stakes, chalk rubble and smaller stones to secure it in position. The close proximity and abundance of stones must have been a deciding factor when the ‘stone builders’ were looking for somewhere to erect their monument.

The Avebury monument is the largest of its kind in the world, attracting some 300,000 visitors annually. It comprising of a vast henge which covers some 11.3 hectares (28 acres) which, when observed during one early investigation in the 17th century by antiquarian John Aubrey, inspired him to write of the henge, 'it did as much to excel of Stonehenge as a Cathedral does a Parish church.’

The henge is approximately 420m (460yrds) in diameter, inside which are the remains of a huge circle of standing stones, which in turn enclose the remains of two smaller circles of standing stones each about 91m (100yrds) in diameter. The three circles are surrounded by a raised bank and ditch. The ditch, when completed around 3000BC, would have had sheer chalk sides to a depth of approximately 10m (33ft) by 23m (75ft) wide. Chalk rubble would have been hauled up from the ditch by labourers using primitive baskets, leather buckets and ladders, a massive undertaking by any standards. The rubble was then piled up on the outer edge of the ditch to a height of approximately 4m (13ft).  It is estimated that 150,000 tonnes of chalk were removed from the ditch. Today, due to natural erosion the ditch is only about a third of its original depth. The henge has four entrances or causeways, the final component of the build.

Most grand is The West Kennet Avenue which runs from the south-east entrance terminating just short of The Sanctuary at Overton Hill and is the longest avenue of standing stones in Britain. Originally this Avenue would have had 100 pairs of stones spaced some 80 feet apart and 50 feet wide. The Beckhampton Avenue, not as impressive but just as important, lies south-west of the henge and terminates at the Longstones, Beckhampton.  This avenue comprises of just two stones - the Adam and Eve stones. These two would suggest solitude but drawings made by William Stukeley in the 1720s show an avenue populated similar to that of West Kennet. In 1999 the Universities of Southampton, Newport and Leicester found six buried stones in parallel confirming Stukeley's drawings, along with several stone pits, the last surviving remnants of where many more of these mighty giants once stood.

The whole project is estimated to have taken 1.5 million man-hours to complete using the most rudimentary of tools; antler picks, ox scapulars and flint axes, many of which have been unearthed during archaeological digs.

Just what motivated our ancestors to build such an elaborate structure and their ultimate purpose in doing so remains a tantalizing mystery. In the absence of any written records, generations of archaeologists have had to piece together this magnificent monument's history through recovered fragments. One of many theories put forward suggest the henge may well have been a place of sacrificial offerings, as suggested by William Stukeley during his examination of the Ring Stone, although no evidence to collaborate his claims have been found. What has been found are knives, flints, broken pots, nuts and twigs from fruit trees. These discoveries may well have played a part in rituals to appease the gods ensuring a good crop yield and the continued fertility of animals and people.

There are those who favour an astral observatory and believe the stones were placed in some kind of geometrical plan or alignment. Difficult to prove, in view of the fact that many of the stones are missing, making any suggestion of alignment with the stars iffy at best. Having said that, the skies and stars were of great importance to Neolithic man, so there is every likelihood the stones may well have played a part.

Some suggest the banked ditch may have served as a public theater or amphitheater, an elevated viewpoint for the faithful to gather and observed the rituals taking place within the henge. The henge was never a defensive structure as the raised bank is on the outside.

Today, a few so-called modern day druids still favour Stukeley’s inaccurate theories and have subsequently adopted Avebury as there own. But fear ye not dear reader, for <em>all</em> are welcome at Avebury, it is not obligatory to dress up like wizards to enjoy your visit.

It is unfortunate that not all of Avebury’s estimated 500 - 600 stones have survived. Of the three rings only 36 stones are left standing and at least 20 remain buried. Many were pushed over in the 14th century by zealous Christians wishing to ‘deconsecrate’ what they saw as a pagan temple. Christians at that time also regarded the stones as harbingers of ill luck. This practice was quite benign compared to what was to come. In the 16th and 17th centuries many stones were broken up into smaller pieces in 'fire-pits.' The stones were toppled over onto a bed of burning straw where they would be super-heated then doused with water causing them to crack, at which point they would have been broken up into manageable pieces using sledgehammers. This practice was undertaken to clear the land for agriculture and to construct many of the buildings in the village. Some of these magnificent stones even went to cobble the streets of Avebury and Devizes. Evidence of stone burning can still be seen about the village, look out for a dull reddish tinge on some of the walls. It is utterly incomprehensible why such disregard for the monument was allowed to continue, especially when you consider the abundance of stones lying about the landscape which were not part of the monument but would have served just as well for building. William Stukeley, who witnessed much of the destruction knew many of the culprits, the most notorious of all being Tom Robinson, a housing speculator who's blatant indifference of the monument beggars belief

John Aubrey (1626-1697) and William Stukeley (1687-1765)

It was the discovery of Avebury’s megaliths by antiquarian - John Aubrey in 1649 whilst out on a foxhunting jolly, that would ultimately, in years to come, alert the many to the significant importance of Avebury's standing stones. Aubrey’s drawings (there were few) of the monument were to prove vital for future research, as they showed mid 17th century Avebury and its subsequent destruction.

In the early 18th century Avebury was visited by antiquarian - William Stukeley who witnessed the mindless destruction to the monument. Stukeley’s drawings, maps and extensive research proved extremely valuable as they clearly show many of the stones that no longer exist or had been buried.

Between 1719-1724, Stukeley made annual visits to Avebury staying at the Catherine Wheel Inn which once stood in the north-east sector close to the ‘Cove’. Stukeley’s measurements, drawings and sketches encouraged him to produce a book Abury. This book, along with his many notes are now held at the Bodleian Library in Oxford where they remain an invaluable reference to early 18th century Avebury.

One of Stukeley’s ‘pseudoarchaeological’ theories (alternative archaeology) was way off the mark however when he expressed the view that Avebury had been constructed by the druids during what we now call the iron age. This was later disproved as the monument is at least 2000 years older.  Stukeley’s  obsession with druidism distorted his ideas to such a degree that he was ostracized by his contemporaries.

Today, a few so-called modern day druids still favour Stukeley’s inaccurate theories and have subsequently adopted Avebury as there own. But fear ye not dear reader, for all are welcome at Avebury, it is not obligatory to dress up like wizards to enjoy your visit.


Avebury complex by Adam Sorell - 1958, based on archaeological excavations and historic drawings.

Alexander Keiller (1889-1955)

In 1873 a Victorian MP, Sir John Lubbock passed a bill preserving ancient monuments. But it wasn’t until the intervention and purchase of the monument by Dundee Marmalade tycoon and archaeologist - Alexander Keiller in the 1930’s, that the destruction ceased. Keiller set up the Morven Institute for Archaeological Research in 1937. He and his team of local men were responsible for the re-erection of many of the stones. When Keiller first arrived there were only 10 stones standing in an overgrown and neglected landscape. He undertook a mammoth task to clear the detritus and prepare the way for excavation. He re-erected 26 stones and cleared the ditch of rubble. Where he found 'receptor pits' (pits where stones once stood) he placed concrete markers which are still in situ today. It was the outbreak of WWII which ultimately put a stop to his work. In 1943 he sold his holding at Avebury to The National Trust for £12,000. Ill health prevented him from completing his work and much of the henge remains uninvestigated.

Keiller acquisition of Avebury Manor in 1937 from Lt. Col Leopold Jenner, allowed him to modernized the Manor’s stable block to house a museum for his work and findings. Although small, it is very informative and well worth a visit. He died in 1955 of lung cancer at his home in Kingston Hill Surrey.

Folklore

Folklore has evolved over hundreds of years regarding the alleged power of Avebury’s sarsens. These enigmatic giants appear to cast a spell on many who see them. Some believe the stones have healing properties and by a 'hugging' one will release its magical properties and cure most ills. Others have claimed whilst hugging a stone, to have felt vibrations emanating from within its very core. 'Stone hugging' is a common sight at Avebury. Often when I have been passing through, I can pretty much guarantee that someone will be flat against a stone, adopting a pose reminiscent of the crucifixion and gazing heavenward in eager anticipation of 'the vibe‘. Now I’m no cynic but I think 'the vibe' can most likely be attributed to the rumble and subsequent vibration of heavy traffic passing close by on the A4361. As mentioned earlier, the locals used to believe the stones were harbingers of ill luck, so hugging one is probably not such a good idea on hindsight.

With all the magic, mystery and ancient rituals which have grown up around the stones, you would have thought the circles would be a supernatural hotspot. If truth be known, the opposite is very much the case, especially when compared to the generous helpings of ghostly history from the likes of The Red Lion pub, which stands within the circle, the stately Tudor Manor and 12th century church of St. James and not forgetting reports of ghostly hitchhikers on the A4361 and the famous coach and four said to thunder through the village in the dead of night. The few hauntings that have been reported from the stones are as follows:

Back in the Sixties, a woman driving through the village late at night, reported seeing ghostly figures dressed in period costumes dancing amongst the stones. I would question, that what she actually saw, was probably nothing more than one of the many pagan rituals and parties which take place regularly at Avebury.

There are claims of dwarf like creatures seen darting amongst the stones in the dead of night and of a spectrum of tiny twinkling lights believed by some to be fairy folk. These lights have been seen countless times dancing above the stones, especially the mysterious Diamond Stone, which is located at the north-west quadrant, a stone incidentally, said to uproot itself and cross the A4361 at the stroke of midnight, no mean feat at around 40 tonnes.

In the South East quadrant you will find the massive Devil’s Chair stone, its name will become apparent as you approach it. Here, many have sat awhile to have their photograph taken, but I do wonder how many would stick around if they knew that on occasion the ‘chimney’ will belch black smoke as a warning that the Devil himself is in residence. There is a legend that if you run round the stone anticlockwise 100 times you will evoke the devil. These stories probably came about to prevent God fearing Christians from attacking the stones.

The henge is thought to have been constructed on top of several ley lines (hypothetical veins of invisible energy beneath the earth, said to connect ancient megalithic sites, monuments and even buildings, particularly churches) which dowsers especially believe intersect beneath the henge and are most likely responsible for generating subterranean ‘earth energy’ which may account (according to dowsers) for some of Avebury’s strange goings on.

There have been reports of poltergeist activity in some of the cottages in the village where sarsen stones were used to build them. A friend of mine, who, several years ago rented what is now ‘The Lodge’ was convinced the place was haunted. Many items, especially in the kitchen, would be mysteriously moved when he was out or in bed asleep. He, was the only occupant.

Avebury is a fascinating place and well worth a visit, if only to marvel at its construction and debate its mystery. That said, the claims surrounding the stones abilities will, I'm sure, stretch even the most vivid of imaginations.

Source: hauntedwiltshire.blogspot.com

Lt. Col. Leopold Jenner (1869 - 1953)

Leopold Jenner astride Lorna Doone

Leopold Christian Duncan Jenner (1869 - 1953) was the fifth son of Sir William Jenner, first baronet and Physician to Queen Victoria.

Leopold Jenner was born on October 4th 1869. Educated at Marlborough College Wiltshire. He had a distinguished army career, joining the Royal Military College and later The King’s Royal Rifle Corps in 1888, he was adjutant from 1891 to 1895, and was promoted to captain in 1896.

He was a sportsman of some distinction and by 1895 won the Army fencing championship at the Royal Military Tournament. On his retirement from the Army in 1904 he became joint manager of the Roehampton Polo Club. He was an exceptional player, winning the Roehampton Polo Cup three times. In 1908 he won the Open Ranelagh Cup, several times he carried off the Public Schools Cup, and was chosen to play for England against Ireland in 1907. Three years later he resigned from the joint management of the Ranelagh Polo Club. In August, 1914, he rejoined the Army on mobilization, serving first in Egypt and then Gallipoli. He was mentioned in despatches and received the D.S.O. In 1916 he was sent to France where he served until the end of the war, when he was made a C.M.G. and also received the Order of the Crown of Roumania. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel, and retired to take up residence at Avebury Manor along with his wife and her daughter Ruby aged nine.

Leopold had married Nora Helen Gertrude Stewart, daughter of the late Field-Marshal Sir Donald Stewart in 1899. In 1894, Nora’s first marriage had ended in divorce after only three years. It caused a public sensation and was even reported in The Times. In 1899 Nora met Leopold and their subsequent marriage was to prove a long and happy one. Nora’s new found freedom from a domineering father and a marriage of subordination emancipated her. She drove her own car, was an active supporter of the suffragette movement; she was very much her own woman, positively encouraged by Leopold.

Nora’s sister Fiona married Leopold’s brother, Walter. Both sisters were expert at needlecraft, Nora embroidering the cover and bed hangings for her own marriage bed, as well as many of the textiles in the Manor. Such was her skill, she revived the art of ‘stump work,‘ a seventeenth century style of needlework that gives a three-dimensional effect. Walter and Fiona had purchased Lytes Cary Manor in Somerset. Both families shared a passion for the conservation and preservation of old buildings.

Leopold and Nora embarked on a restoration project in the early 20th century at Avebury Manor to restore what had become a tired and somewhat neglect house back to its original spender. They salvaged a great deal of oak panelling, much of which dates from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and still adorns several rooms today. They undertook many alterations to the house; opening up what is now the ‘Keiller Parlour’ to form a large hall-come-lounge; they restored the south library (now the Billiard Room) which was derelict and without floor. Here they installing bespoke oak panelling, along with a bolection moulded fireplace of Cornish Serpentine Stone, c1700. Finally, in the early 1920s they built the West Library (now The National Trust tearoom) to house Colonel Jenner’s extensive library and where they both spent much of their time. With the Colonel’s historic knowledge and Nora’s eye for colour and artistry, their combined efforts made for a beautiful home and garden, the latter replanted and landscaped by Nora with the inclusion of ornate, geometric Box topiary.

The colonel was a man of habit, daily marching his two Dalmatians through Avebury High Street, turning left by the Red Lion pub and onto what is now the A4361 until they reached the gated north west entrance and the drive that swept back up to the Manor. The Avebury henge runs parallel to the drive and it was not unusual for the colonel to be a little put out by those so-called ’sightseers,’ who would walk on top of the ditch which overlooked his property. With growl and a wave of his stick he would express his disfavour at such an intrusion. Having said that, the Jenners’ were very popular with the village folk and would often open their gardens for the local children, to hold fetes and one year a Christmas pantomime where Nora made many of the costumes.

The Jenners’ lived happily at Avebury Manor from 1902 - 1935. However, the end of the Great War  saw their finances take a tumble. They were both fairly wealthy; Leopold had inherited a share of his father’s estate, some £300,000 and Nora had inherited from her mother, though this was held in trust. Their incomes had diminished considerably; taxes were high, the upkeep of the Manor, employment of staff who were difficult to find post war; inflation, extortionate prices for just about everything, plus several failed overseas investments all contributed to their financial haemorrhage. With great sadness they resigned themselves to the fact that they would have to give up Avebury Manor and relocate to less expensive accommodation. They leased the Manor to Dundee Marmalade tycoon, Alexander Keiller in 1935, eventually selling it to him in 1937.

The Jenners’ took up residence at No.9 The Circus, Bath. Colonel Jenner died a few days before his eight-fourth birthday at his home in Bath on October 20th 1953. Nora had died the previous year on February 4th. They were devoted to one another and it was their wish that they be buried together at St. James Church Avebury, close to the house they adored and missed so much. On the memorial plaque above the vault is a touching epitaph, it reads ’She was in all things the most perfect wife and companion a man ever had.’


The Jenner vault at St. James Avebury

The Billiard Room has been created for the project by the BBC.  It is dedicated to the memory of Lt.Colonel Jenner and has been furnished in a style reminiscent of an early 1900s gentleman’s retreat. It is a very masculine room; animal trophies hang from its walls; sporting memorabilia in the shape of fishing tackle, a leather football, polo mallets and riding boots are placed here and there. There are several photographs of the Colonel and his wife. Newspapers and magazines of the day are available to read as are many volumes on the bookshelves, some of which are from the Colonel’s own collection and of course the centre piece, a fine 1890’s three quarter mahogany billiard table which was lovingly restored by Hubble Sports.

The Billiard Room

Sources: The Times Newspaper 1955; The Manor Reborn, Sian Evans 2011. This edit: Willow 2012

Volunteering at Avebury Manor

Volunteer Coordinator - Chris Penny, engaged in one of his many talents, this time as Head Chef.


Volunteers enjoying a recent barbeque, mmmm.


Volunteers from the Saturday crew

Volunteering at Avebury Manor is great fun and can be very rewarding. If you’re the sort of person who enjoys interacting with the public and are not afraid of being centre stage, as is often the case when imparting your knowledge about the Manor’s history, the BBC project or the neolithic Avebury complex, then this could be just the job for you.

You will be invited to attend an informal interview with Volunteer Coordinator - Chris Penny, who will discuss with you what is expected from a Trust volunteer, where you think you would most like to work (there are various placements at Avebury, not just in the Manor) and times you are available to work.

Whatever you decide, you will be ‘buddied’ by an experienced volunteer or member of staff until such time you feel happy to go it alone. Should you decide to work in the Manor as many do, then you will be given a manual containing useful information about each of the rooms created by the BBC project and a brief history of Avebury Manor.

From time to time you will be asked to attend training courses, meetings and social events. You don’t have to of course but they are designed to help you improve the visitor experience, air your suggestions and meet with fellow volunteers.

After 50 hours work you will be issued (at the Trust’s discretion) with a Volunteers pass card which will entitle you to the following National Trust benefits: Free entry to all Trust properties, free parking in designate Trust car parks, 20% off all goods in Trust shops, 20% off in Trust restaurants, tea rooms etc.

To arrange an interview, call 01672 538015 and ask for Chris Penny.

Volunteering at Avebury

Sir Adam Williamson (1733 - 1798)

Following the death of Arthur Jones in 1798, Avebury Manor passed to his chosen successor - Ann (Nanny) Williamson, who‘s husband - Adam Williamson was to become governor of Jamaica. The Williamsons’ owned Avebury Manor between 1789 - 1798

Sir Adam Williamson, army officer and colonial governor, was the son of Lieutenant-General George Williamson (1707?–1781), who commanded the Royal Artillery during operations in North America from 1758 to 1760.

Williamson was educated at Westminster School from October 1744, aged ten. He became a cadet gunner on 1 January 1748, and entered the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich in 1750.

He graduated as a practitioner engineer on 1 January 1753. The following year he went to North America serving an engineer in Braddock's expedition to Virginia in 1755 where he was wounded during the defeat at Monongahela.

Further conflicts were to follow during his military career; he was at the surrender of Fort William Henry in August 1757 where he was promoted to lieutenant in the 5th foot on 25 September and was given a staff appointment as lieutenant and engineer-extraordinary on 4 January 1758. He served at the capture of Louisburg in July 1758 and the taking of Quebec a year later, where he was wounded again.

He was appointed captain in the 40th foot on 21 April 1760 and distinguished himself during the capture of L'Isle Royale the following August.

Further promotion came in 1770 when he was given the rank of major in the 16th foot and engineer-in-ordinary. Later transferring to the 61st foot; where he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in the army on 12 September 1775.

As lieutenant-colonel of the 18th Royal Irish regiment, he ceased his engineering duties and returned to active service in North America, where he participated in the battle of Bunker Hill (June 1775).

After his return to England in July 1776 he was appointed deputy adjutant-general of the forces in south Britain on 23 December 1778. He achieved promotion to colonel in the army on 15 February 1782 and major-general on 28 April 1790, and became colonel of the 47th foot on 16 July 1790; he transferred to the 72nd highlanders in March 1794.

He had married Ann Jones, at Woolwich on 10th August 1771; she was the daughter of Thomas Jones of East Wickham Kent.

In July 1789, Ann had inherited Avebury Manor from her uncle - Arthur Jones. Sir Adam however, had little time to enjoy his peaceful new country residence, for in late 1790, when war with Spain threatened, he was sent as lieutenant-governor and garrison commander to Jamaica, Britain's most important colony. He was later to replace the governor - Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Howard, 3rd Earl of Effingham following his death in November 1791.

His clemency proved popular with the planters and he won praise for his ‘mildness’ and for maintaining calm after the outbreak of a major slave uprising in nearby St Domingue.

Several of its white colonists sought refuge in Jamaica and requested that Britain take over the French colony. Williamson cultivated these contacts, for St Domingue was a source of enormous wealth. Following the outbreak of war in 1793 he received permission to send troops to those areas that would accept a British protectorate. In September there began a tenuous five-year military occupation. Slave owners welcomed the British forces into much of western and southern St Domingue, and plantation production revived. Ultimately, however, their alliance could make little headway against the burgeoning insurrection among the enslaved and free coloured populations. Troops sent from Europe were vastly outnumbered and died quickly from disease. Yet, in the optimism following the capture of Port-au-Prince on 4 June 1794, Williamson was made a knight of the Bath on 18 November and governor of St Domingue, where he arrived on 26 May 1795.

The governor had to implement an experiment in what later became crown colony government. Reintroducing civil administration into a society torn apart by the French Revolution proved a delicate task. Although Williamson generally had a good word for everyone, his favouring of radical Anglophile colonists over conservative émigrés from France was received badly in Whitehall. The occupation, moreover, became notorious for military losses and escalating costs. Yellow fever, inflation, and the guerrilla warfare of the insurgents doomed the expedition. Williamson expanded the use of black soldiers but was unable to reduce the death rate of British troops. Instructed to foster colonial support for British rule, the humane and generous governor spent lavishly, both his own money and the government's. Since he was fluent in French and fond of late-night drinking and story-telling, he was well liked by wealthy colonists, but, indulgent and overworked, he allowed corruption to flourish around him.

Perceived as a lax administrator and poor judge of men, Williamson was recalled in October 1795; he left the colony on 14 March 1796. His final promotion was as lieutenant-general, on 26 January 1797.

Sir Adam returned to Avebury alone in 1797, for Ann had died of yellow fever whilst they were in Jamaica. Williamson died from the effects of a fall in the dining room/great hall at Avebury on 21 October 1798. It is believed he fractured several ribs in the fall, possibly puncturing a lung. Death would have been slow and painful, his body finally succumbing to respiratory failure.

His obituary in the ‘Gentleman’s Magazine’ of 21 October 1798 reads;

‘At Averbury [sic] House, Wilts, Lieut. Gen. Sir Adam Williamson, K.B. and colonel of the 72nd regiment of foot, and for a short time, governor of Jamaica. His death was occasioned by a violent fall, which fractured two of his ribs, and so terribly bruised him that he languished from Friday till Sunday’.

Source: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, edited by David P. Geggus. Subsequent edits by Willow

Sir Adam Williamson's funeral hatchments can be found on the south wall of St. James church Avebury. In his will he bequeathed Avebury Manor to Ann’s nephew - Richard Jones.


Georgian Dining Room

The BBC has themed, what was the ‘Dining Parlour’ and renamed it ‘The Georgian Dining Room’ for the project. It represents the year 1798, the year of Williamson’s death. An inventory exists from the point of his death and it has been used, with some license, to furnish and decorate the room, it reads:

1798 Inventory of ‘the Dining Parlour:’

A large Wilton carpet
A hearth rug
Digester(?) stove set of fire irons fender and brush
Three Chimney orniments
A Picture fram’d and Glaz’d over Ditto
Two Pictures of their Majesty
Parlour Orgun
Circular Mahogany side table Inlaid with patten wood
A Clock & Case on A Brackett
A Oval pier Glass & Marble Slab
Two green Festoon Morreen Window Curtains
Eleven Small & 2 Mahogany Arm Chairs
One Dumb Waiter & one Square Mahog’y Stool
A Sett of Mahog’y Dining tables. Consisting of 3 frames & 4 loose pieces
A Sofa with hessian(?) Cover and 2 Bolsters
Two Veneation Window blinds

The focal point of the room has to be the Chinese wallpaper which was inspired by a narrative paper given to the banker Thomas Coutts by the returning first British ambassador to Beijing - George Earl Macartney in 1794. The paper still hangs in the boardroom at Coutts bank in London. The Coutts paper shows many contemporary activities; the tea industry, silk and pottery production, agriculture and Chinese opera. Some of these elements have been introduced into the Avebury paper.

Inspiration also came from another 18th century paper commissioned by James Drummond of the Honourable East India Company. It shows Westerners in the scene, one of the few remaining papers to do so. The paper now resides in the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts.

The Avebury paper shows Western trade ships departing from Chinese harbours. Artistic license has been afforded to Avebury Manor, Avebury stone circle and St. James Church, all of which can be seen to the right of the fireplace. BBC presenters Russell Sage, Paul Martin and Dan Cruikshank, appear to the left of the fireplace behind the door.

The BBC commissioned Fromental, makes of exquisite handmade wallpapers and fabrics to produce the paper. The paper was handmade at their studio in Wuxi (pronounced ‘Wo-Shi‘) China. Each of the 22 panels were sketched then painted in watercolour. Twelve artists undertook the project taking approximately 4000 hours to complete. In preparation for the Chinese paper, a special ‘lining’ paper was hung to cover irregularities in the walls ensuring a smoother surface. The finished paper was hung using a traditional starch-based glue.

Queen Anne (1665 - 1714)

Did Queen Anne visit Avebury Manor?

There is a strong possibility that Queen Anne Stuart and her slow-moving entourage stayed at Avebury Manor during one of her many trips from London to Bath, where she would ‘take the waters’ in the hope of alleviating her ill health. She suffered terribly from gout, severe gynaecological problems and dropsy which caused her body to swell. At the time of her death on 1st August 1714, her body had become so swollen that a special square-shaped coffin had to be constructed before she could be laid to rest alongside her husband - George of Denmark, at Westminster Abbey. She was succeeded by George I of the House of Hanover.

Anne conceived 17 times (which would probably account for her gynaecological problems) between the age of 18 and 34. Only six of her 18 children (she had twins) survived childbirth and of the six only William - Duke of Gloucester survived till the age of 11. By all accounts William was a sickly child from birth and appears to have had developmental problems. He was unable to walk properly until he was five, and even towards the end of his life had occasionally to be fed by a nurse at meals. He suffered from hydrocephalus; fluid on the brain. William died on 30th July 1700 from smallpox.

In 1694 Master in Chancery - Sir Richard Holford had purchased Avebury Manor from the Stawell family. It was not unusual for wealthy land and property owners to go to great lengths and expense to ensure a state room was prepared in anticipation of a royal visit. This show of hospitality would occasionally be abused by Machiavellian monarchs’ who would deliberately overstay their welcome at the homes of those they did not hold in favour just so their hosts would incur huge costs, often bankrupting them.

There is no evidence to support the claim that Queen Anne stayed at Avebury Manor for any length of time but there is evidence of an entry in an manuscript dated 1712 by John Sanders, a servant of Lady Holford’s sister, entitled ‘The Account of my Travils With My Mistress‘, where he claims;

‘Thursday ye 13 (August 1712) about 10 we came to Sir Rich Holford’s house in Avebury, it is a noble larg ancient seat, built with whit larg stone, it belong to Lord Stowel, ye late Lord Stowel was born thare, and our Queen Anne did dine thare’

As this statement appears to refer to a time when Queen Anne was already on the thrown, it is probably safe to assume, given the Queen’s deteriorating health, that her visit, if indeed it took place, was at some point during the previous 10 years prior to 1712.

The trip from London to Bath would have taken several days, so stop-off points would have been meticulously planned along the route, a route which would have passed Avebury and its magnificent standing stones, surely an attraction for any passing monarch. It is therefore not inconceivable that Queen Anne did visit Avebury Manor.

A suite of three state rooms were conceived as part of the BBC project in anticipation of a royal visit. The bedroom would feature a lavish marble effect paint scheme, a domed four poster bed dressed with damask silks and bespoke walnut furnishings, adding a sumptuous feel to the room. An antechamber with Chinese stencilling and a withdrawing room, again dressed with silk and walnut furnishings, with a spacious daybed as its centre piece, fashioned to accommodate Queen Anne’s rather large girth, proportions which were carefully researched by project historian Dan Cruikshank.

It’s interesting to note that state beds were very rarely slept in, monarchs much preferring smaller anterooms or withdrawing rooms in which to sleep. Dr Anna Whitelock, an expert on monarchy, advised on what would be needed in each of the rooms.



Queen Anne Bedroom leading to antechamber



Withdrawing Room

Francesco Fieravino il Maltese (or not)

Francesco Fieravino was born on the island of Malta (c1610 - 1670).  Little is known about the man himself or with whom he studied. He travelled to Rome in the early 1630s and by 1640 had gained wide acclaim for his still life’s. Most notable are his paintings of tapestries, rugs, and fine metalwork in a baroque style using a palette of rich reds, oranges and ambers which he applied with heavy deliberate brush strokes.

He is probably better known as Francesco “il Maltese,“ a nickname he assumed from his place of birth.

Two of his paintings hang in the Billiard Room, however they are not by il Maltese as was originally thought, for following careful examination and partial cleaning by Alistair Lang - the National Trust art adviser, it turns out they are reproductions by French artist Jacques Hupin, who painted in the mid 17th century. They were installed by the Jenners when they remodelled this room and passed on to Alexander Keiller when he purchased the property from them.

Above the fireplace; a ‘Still Life with a Rich Rug, a Gold Plate, a Nautilus Shell Cup Topped with a Cupid and a Bust of Diana - Greek Goddess of the hunt.’ Oil on canvas, 75 x 121 cm (estimated)
Above the door; a Still Life with a Rich Rug, Salver and Sweetmeats. Oil on canvas, 113 x 144 cm

Sir William Dunch (1508 - 1597)

Brass memorial and final resting place - St. Peter's Little Wittenham

Little is known of William Dunches’ (later to be knighted) roots but it is believed he hailed from Northamptonshire where he had relatives in Easton-on-the-Hill.

He was educated as a lawyer and had chambers at Gray’s Inn, Holborn central London. In 1546, Dunch was appointed Auditor of the Royal Mint, overseeing work at the Tower of London, York, Canterbury, Bristol and Southwark.

He was heavily involved in Henry VIII's disastrous policy of debasing the English coinage and its subsequent restoration under Edward VI. He was paid a good salary of 200 marks (£133-13s-4d - today that would be nearly £27,000) per annum for his trouble, but, despite acting under the King's orders, it was a dangerous business. Luckily, Dunch was pardoned in 1552 for any treason he may inadvertently have committed.

Indeed, in 1549, he had spent a short period in the Fleet Prison, but this may have been due to his attachment to the Lord Protector, Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, who fell from power at this time. Dunch was soon released, though his bail cost £4,000 (that's an amazing £800,000 today!). By 1551, however, he had relinquished his auditor's post and was given an annuity of £100 in recompense.

In 1547 he had married Mary Barnes, the daughter of William Barnes, Porter of Guisnes Castle in France. She bore him two sons - Edmund and Walter, the latter eventually taking up residence at, then inheriting Avebury Manor in 1581. Edmund lived at Brightwell Manor another of  Dunch’s estates.

Dunch acquisition of Avebury Manor in 1551 for £2,000 (£400,000 today) was due to Sir William Sharington (owner of Lacock Abbey) falling from grace in 1549 following a charge of defrauding the Bristol Mint, where he held the post of under treasurer. His crimes forced him to relinquish many of his estates and holdings to cover a hefty fine, Avebury Manor was one such estate. The Dunches' are largely responsible for building the new house between 1551 - 1580.

In 1552 Dunch purchased a coat of arms and with the fortune he had amassed began to invest further in land and properties.

In 1553 he purchase Little Wittenham from Sir Edmund Peckham, which became his main country residence, though no trace of the Tudor house remains. More was to follow as he acquired lands and property in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Dorchester.

1563, he was elected MP for Wallingford and, seven years later, he was made Sheriff of Berkshire. In 1567, Dunch was one the commissioners of sewers on the River Thames, overseeing the condition of local waterways. A similar commission throughout Berkshire, Wiltshire and Hampshire followed. In 1573, he was appointed commander of musters for the Berkshire Militia. In his latter years, William was appointed Esquire Extraordinary to the Body of Queen Elizabeth I and worked with great men like the Royal Treasurer, Lord Burghley; the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, Thomas Egerton; and the Queen's Principal Secretary, Robert Cecil; and, in the 1580s, he was presiding

in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. He was knighted in 1603 by King James I
Sir William Dunch died on 11th May 1597 age 86. He was buried in St. Peter’s Church Little Wittenham, which, in 1553 he paid to be extended. His tomb is marked with a brass memorial, the only surviving image of him. The inscription reads:

'Here lyeth buryed William Dunche Esquier Auditor or the Myntes to our late soveraigne lordes Kinge Henrie the eight, and Kinge Edwarde the sixte and Esquier sworne extreordinarie for the bodye of our soveraigne Ladie Elizabeth. He maryed Marie Barnes they had yssue betwene them two sonnes Edmonde the eldest and Walter the younger which William deceased the .... daie of .... in the yeare of our Lorde God.'

Sir William Dunch was succeeded in the majority of his estates by his eldest son, Edmund. Walter predeceased his father in 1594.

Source: Royal Berkshire History, Avebury Manor Archives


Tudor Parlour

The Tudour Parlour  (BBC Project) is representative of the ownership of William and Mary Dunch.  It is indicative of a family with considerably wealth. Tapestries hang from its walls, an extravagance much favoured by the wealthy. Bespoke seasoned oak furniture, carefully researched for the period adds opulence to the room, as does the rush matting which has been hand threaded into plaits using herbs, lavender, southernwood and English bulrushes harvested from the river Nene in Northamptonshire. The heraldic walnut panel over the fireplace includes a representation of the Dunch coat of arms painted for the project by Grant Watt

Alexander Keiller (1889 - 1955)

Alexander Keiller

Alexander Keiller was born at Binrock House, Dundee, on 1 December 1889, the only child of John Mitchell and Mary Keiller of the esteemed Dundee medical family. On the death of his father in 1899, Alexander Keiller, at the age of nine, became sole heir to a vast fortune derived from the family marmalade business; James Keiller and Sons, established in 1797.

Keiller was educated at Hazelwood preparatory school in Limpsfield, Surrey, and from there went on to Eton College. He left Eton following the death of his mother in 1907, and returned home to help administer the family business. On his 21st birthday he came into his inheritance. He continued in the family business and served an apprenticeship as a draughtsman.

On 2 June 1913 Keiller married Florence Marianne Phil-Morris, daughter of the artist Philip Richard Morris, and they moved into Keiller's London house at 13 Hyde Park Gardens. Later the same year he founded and financed the Sizaire-Berwick Motor Company, which produced a Rolls-Royce lookalike.

After the outbreak of the First World War he joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve as a temporary lieutenant, moving to the Royal Naval Air Service in December 1914 to work with the armoured car division. At Chingford in 1915 he obtained his aviator's licence, but shortly afterwards was invalided out of the service. In 1918 he joined air intelligence, with which he remained until the end of the war.

After the war Keiller divorced his first wife, and began to pursue his interest in archaeology, at a time when archaeology barely existed as a profession. In 1922 he approached O.G.S. Crawford of the Ordnance Survey, suggesting an aerial survey of archaeological sites in south-west England. This project culminated in the publication of Wessex from the Air (1928), the first book of aerial archaeology to be published in the UK.

On 29 February 1924 Keiller married Veronica Mildred Liddell. Veronica had a keen interest in archaeology, and visited Avebury in Wiltshire with him later that year. This was to be a turning point for Keiller. He decided to buy up Windmill Hill a little under 2 miles from Avebury and undertake a series of excavations on the site, which was known to be neolithic. Between 1925 and 1929 excavations proved the site to be a causewayed enclosure. It became a type-site for many years to follow.

Following a separation, Keiller divorced Veronica in 1934. In the same year he began a two-year programme excavating another area in Avebury, the West Kennet Avenue, which led south from the stone circle. Buried stones were uncovered and re-erected, and stone-holes marked with pillars. He procured a lease on Avebury Manor in 1935 from Lt. Col Leopold and Nora Jenner, and further land purchases which included 950 acres of Avebury and Windmill Hill, which only helped to strengthened his commitment to the village. However, though Keiller generated much employment locally there was a price to pay. His acquisition of lands allowed him to demolish many of the cottages close to, or within the henge to enable him to carry out his excavations. Keiller rehoused all the occupants in council properties at nearby Avebury Trusloe.

The first major excavation of Avebury stone circle was in 1937, the first of three seasons over the ensuing years. Each concentrated on a quadrant of the circle, restoring and preserving the site for future generations. The first season was concentrated on the north-west quadrant, which includes the great Diamond stone or Swindon Stone as it is commonly referred to. The whole area was covered with bracken and trees, which were removed as the work progressed. Eight stones, some up to a metre below the ground, were uncovered and re-erected in their original stone-holes, and as with the avenue, concrete pillars were used to indicate where Keiller believed the missing stones once stood.

The second season, in 1938, was in the south-west quadrant. At the outset only one stone was standing, with a further three visible. In the first ten days five buried stones were uncovered, and on day fifteen the famous barber–surgeon skeleton was discovered, lying where it had been since the stone toppled on the unfortunate man in the middle ages. (Over sixty years later, the skeleton of the barber–surgeon, thought to have been lost during the blitz, was discovered in the archives of the Natural History Museum.) By the end of this season, eleven stones were standing in the quadrant and stone-holes duly marked. The excavations in 1939 concentrated on the south-east quadrant, where the giant Obelisk stone described by the 18th century antiquarian - William Stukeley had once stood. Work was concentrated on the inner circle, and a curious rectangular setting of eight small stones, named the z-stones, was discovered to the west of the Obelisk site. These can now be seen close to the plinth (designed by Keiller) which marks the site of the Obelisk.

As Avebury was a site of national interest, the project maintained a high profile in the public eye. A museum was opened in June 1938, displaying finds from the Windmill Hill, West Kennet, and Avebury stone circle excavations. On 16 November 1938 Keiller was married for a third time; his new wife was Doris Emerson Chapman (b. 1901), an artist, who had joined the Morven Institute of Archaeological Research, founded by Keiller in 1937.

The outbreak of war ended excavations at Avebury. Keiller joined the special constabulary at Marlborough, and was soon promoted to inspector. His duties left little time for other works, and the museum was closed to the public and the Manor was left empty for many years. In 1943, following negotiations with the office of works and the National Trust, Keiller sold his properties and land in Avebury to the National Trust for £12,000, which was the agricultural value of the 950 acres. He did not ask for any reimbursement for the vast sum (today equivalent to over £2 million) which he had spent on excavating and restoring the circle. The National Trust declined to purchase Avebury Manor, deeming it too expensive.

Both Keiller and his wife had brief affairs during and shortly after the war, but it was only in 1948, when he met Gabrielle Muriel Styles, née Ritchie, the champion golfer and art collector, that he sought a divorce which Doris refused. In 1951 he had an operation for throat cancer, and shortly afterwards Doris granted him a divorce on 16 June 1951, leaving him free to marry Gabrielle the following day. He was her third husband.

The couple moved into Telegraph Cottage, Kingston Hill, Surrey, where he later died of lung cancer on 29 October 1955 aged 65. His ashes were interred in the wall of Gairn Castle, Morven, Ballater, Aberdeenshire, where he had once had a major landholding.

Keiller had many interests besides archaeology they included: photography, racing cars - rather than spectating, shooting (he was a crack shot) aviation (he was a competent pilot). He had a collectors passion for antique furniture, art deco, textiles, ceramics, Egyptian antiquities, books, particularly on archaeology, witchcraft and the occult.

Keiller’s love of fast cars was to catch up with him, when on the 9th July 1929 he was involved in a crash on the A4 between Savernake Forest and Marlborough. He was driving his Targa Florio Bugatti accompanied by a Miss Duncan when he collided with a bridge, in his own words:

'The actual site of the crash you must know well. It is the Railway Bridge on the hill climbing into Savernake out of Marlborough on the main Bath Road. We were climbing this hill at a reasonable speed, but not by any manner of means, I consider, an excessive one, viz. some 84 miles an hour, when my back axle broke and, the car turning round and rising into the air, we hurtled ourselves onto the angular portion of the Bridge. It is fortunate that we hit the angle, since otherwise, considering the speed at which we were travelling, we must have burst through the brickwork and fallen another forty feet onto the Railway line below. It is of course miraculous that either of us lived through the experience.'

The speed limit on this stretch of road is now a respectable 30mph.

His fortune allowed him to indulge in one of his favourite pastimes - Skiing, particularly cross-country and ski-jumping, for which he had won many honours in St. Moritz and further a field. Allegedly, there is even a slope named after him there.

In 1931 he was elected president of the Ski Club of Great Britain. Keiller was fond of cocktails and even more fond of parties. During one Oxford University Ski Club Dinner he records - ‘sixteen of us consumed a hundred and fifty cocktails before the meal began. I clearly recall doing my share up to this point, after which I do not very clearly recollect anything’.

In 1966 the Keiller Museum at Avebury and its contents were gifted to the nation by his widow, Gabrielle. Avebury was inscribed a world heritage site in 1986 by NESCO. Avebury alone is host to around 300,000 visitors a year.

In 1991, the National Trust purchased Avebury Manor from the official receivers following the bankruptcy of Kenneth King.

We owe a great deal of gratitude to Alexander Keiller for his tireless dedication restoring much of Avebury's neolithic monument. It is unfortunate that some twenty or so stones still lay buried beneath the henge just waiting to be re-erected.


The Keiller Parlour

This room is just one of nine rooms selected by the BBC for a themed makeover.  It is in the oldest part of the house (1555 - 1580) but for the purpose of the project, is set in 1939 on the eve of the outbreak of the WWII - 1st September.

We know Keiller had a fondness for art deco styles, so many items brought in by project designer Russell Sage reflect this.  Instruments similar to those he would have most likely used during his excavations can be seen on the desk.

Sources:
Alexander Keiller owned Avebury Manor between 1937 - 1955. A themed room created for the project by the BBC and named the ‘Keiller Parlour’ is, I feel, a fitting statement to his memory.Sources:
L. J. Murray, A zest for life (1999) · Alexander Keiller Museum Archive, Avebury · W. Young diaries, Devizes Museum, Wiltshire · D. G. King diaries, Alexander Keiller Museum Archive, Avebury · I. F. Smith, Windmill Hill and Avebury: excavations by Alexander Keiller, 1925–1939 (1965) · A. Burl, Prehistoric Avebury (1979) · C. Malone, Book of Avebury (1989) · The Independent (12 Jan 1996) [obit. of Gabrielle Keiller] · The Eton register, 8 vols. (privately printed, Eton, 1903–32) · NA Scot. · d. cert.

Wealth at death
£106,798 14s. 11d.: probate, 22 June 1956, CGPLA Eng. & Wales

Edited for ‘Avebury Manor‘ by ~ Willow (2012)

The Keiller Parlour.