Lost secrets revealed at Stonehenge

Visitors to Stonehenge over the August Bank Holiday weekend will have the chance to catch a glimpse of life in Britain more than 4,000 years ago. 

A team of archaeologists from around Britain are carrying out excavations at Woodhenge, Durrington Walls and Stonehenge Cursus to find out more about these sites and their links with Stonehenge.

The work is part of the Stonehenge Riverside Project, designed to explore the archaeological evidence from the landscape around Stonehenge, Woodhenge and Durrington Walls, and to examine this wide complex of monuments and human activities.

In 2005, archaeologists at Durrington Walls discovered remains of at least three Neolithic houses, as well as the first known metalled road surface from the European Neolithic period. 

This formed a ceremonial avenue aligned on the Midsummer Solstice sunset. 

The wooden circles of Durrington Walls and Woodhenge appeared to have been connected to Stonehenge by their avenues and the river Avon.

This year, the team will be going further, investigating the timber circle of Woodhenge, trying to find evidence from similar timber structures inside the circular enclosure of Durrington Walls and looking for a possible lost bluestone henge on the Stonehenge Cursus.

English Heritage Outreach Officer for the South West, Kath Graham, said: "This is a really special opportunity to see how the people who built these unique landmarks lived and worked, and experience another side to the Stonehenge World Heritage Site.  The team are hoping for some exciting finds this year and it will be a great day out for all the family."
 
The public is invited to visit these ongoing excavations at the special open day - 10am to 4pm throughout the Bank Holiday weekend (August 26 to 28).