bath and avebury, part II

After we left Bath, we made our way to Avebury - a tiny town (literally one street with half a dozen houses, a church, a pub, a mini mini-market and a tourist shop) situated in the center of an ancient henge - a circle of megalithic stones.

Associated with pagan rituals, Christians up until the time of Shakespeare feared the stones were evil, and dug big ditches next to the stones to topple them in, burying them underground. One man was actually crushed under a fallen stone and his skeleton was recovered when the stones were later unearthed. If they didn't believe the stones were evil before, they definitely did after that! In the 1930s the stones were excavated and situated as they were originally upright and in their circle.

The whole area is green, with rolling hills and valleys filled with white fluffy sheep and multi-colored cows. Our tour guide told us that Wilkshire county has the most thatched roofs in the country!

The English countryside, Wilkshire, from the inside of our mega bus. 

This chalk image was made over 200 years ago, and even then it is a
replication of even older pictures across the countryside.

One half of the Avebury henge - the village of Avebury is built in the center
of the ring of large megaliths. 

The other half of the stone circle. The date of the henge is
older than Stonehenge! And unlike Stonehenge you can walk
right up to the Avebury henge.

The local pub - quite a few characters in Avebury, with capes and such. I guess
the nature of the stones attract interesting people.

St. James Church, built in the late 1400s and still used
today!

Flower wreath over the entrance to St. James Church.

Inside St. James - I thought the home knit bible covers in the pews were adorable! 

I liked the colors of the tile on the roof

The Manor at Avebury - the last man who owned it had family fortune from a
marmelade business "Keller marmelade."

The Manor's gardens -- I thought I had stumbled
upon the Secret Garden!

(notice the ladybug)