A guide to the events, exhibitions and more taking place across the Stonehenge & Avebury World Heritage Site.
- On the evening of 23 October, the National Trust is hosting a Dark skies: family stone circle walk in Avebury. Providing an evening of astronomy for families in the stone circle, participants can take part in lantern crafting followed by a dark walk in the henge with a fascinating talk about the stars. Booking essential.
- From 21 October to 5 November, English Heritage’s Visitor Centre at Stonehenge will be hosting a pop-up play The Mystery of the Stones, featuring the world-famous, fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. Suitable for all ages the play will take place at regular times throughout the day with special performances for BSL.
- The National Trust continues to mark 300 Years of William Stukeley with an exhibition in the barn at Avebury of several of his works until 10 November. Running alongside the exhibition is a free museum trail (ending 5 November) in the Alexander Keiller Museum which encourages visitors to look more closely at Stukeley’s detailed drawings and learn more about the wider landscape.
- The annual outdoor Sculpture exhibition in Avebury Manor Garden remains open until 15 October, showcasing over 70 works from local artists.
- Exhibition Wessex Airscapes, Elevating Wiltshire is open at Wiltshire Museum until 15 October, combining the aerial photography of Hedley Thorne and landscape paintings and prints of Anna Dillon, including scenes of the World Heritage Site.
- An exciting new project between the National Trust and Find My Past reveals the stories of the people who lived and worked in Avebury Manor at the time of the national census in 1921. From 5 October to 5 November, visitors to the manor can discover more about its former residents and the legacy they left.
- Avebury will be celebrating the Apple Harvest from 21 – 29 October with activities for all the family to get fully immersed in Autumn. The National Trust has a programme of activities from apple trails over the half-term to apple tastings, apple pressing and children’s activities on the weekend of 21 and 22 October.
- On 22 October the National Trust will be holding its monthly Trust10 trail run at Avebury, a free 10k challenging trail run with stunning views across the wider Avebury landscape.
- On 28 October, Wiltshire Museum is hosting a talk by Peter Maggs on The Story of Edward Duke and the Amesbury Oliver. The lecture will explore Duke’s life as 19th Century cleric, magistrate and antiquarian, including his bizarre published theory regarding the origins of Stonehenge, Avebury, and Silbury Hill. Booking essential.
Coming up:
Join English Heritage 11 – 12 November for the first Stonehenge Festival of Neolithic Ideas with a programme of hands-on activities, demonstrations, talks and tours, led by experts in the field to reveal how the latest advances in science and archaeological techniques have developed our understanding of Stonehenge and the people who built it.