Marden Henge NMP

Marden Henge, the largest henge enclosure in Britain, is situated within the Vale of Pewsey between the World Heritage Sites of Avebury and Stonehenge. Antiquarian accounts of the site describe a huge mound within the enclosure called Hatfield Barrow, which collapsed after excavation in the early 19th century. The henge and surrounding area are being investigated through aerial, geophysical, and field survey.

Excavations are planned for 2010.

Marden Henge photographed on 6 December 2006. The bank and ditch of the henge are in places difficult to see as they have been reduced through ploughing. The best preserved earthworks are within the curving band of trees top centre of the photograph. Hatfield Barrow, levelled in the early 1800s, was situated to the right of the building at the centre of the photograph (NMR 24502/09). © English Heritage. NMR.

The Henge

With the exception of the north-eastern part of the site which is covered with trees, the aerial photographs provide a good view of the henge. Cropmarks of the remains of Hatfield Barrow can be seen, as can part of the internal ditch not visible from the ground.
The aerial photographs also provide a good view of a second earthwork towards the south-west corner of the enclosure. This consists of a raised area with a broad ditch with outer bank.

The earliest aerial photographs show the site before houses were built within the south-west corner of the henge. These photos do not show any evidence that there was a bank and ditch where the houses now stand and instead it appears that the River Avon defined the remainder of the enclosure.

Marden Henge photographed on 4 November 1946 before the houses were built along the south-western side (RAF CPE/UK/1821 2158). English Heritage (NMR) RAF Photography.

The Vale of Pewsey

The majority of sites identified from the air are in the south and east of the vale. There are a number of other prehistoric sites that can be seen as cropmarks many of which, like the henge, are positioned close to the river. At Charlton there are 16 closely spaced ring ditches, most of which are within the flood plain and are likely to have held water at least for some of the year.

Also common along much of the riverside and possibly obscuring earlier sites are the earthworks of post-medieval water meadows. These are a series of channels dug to allow the meadows to be flooded and then drained of water. This flooding encouraged early grass growth at the start of the year and provided good hay harvests for the flocks in winter.

During this period an important role of these flocks was to manure the fields. Evidence of arable farming can be seen in the medieval terraces known as strip lynchets on the slopes of the vale, and by the remains of plough headlands within the vale.

A group of possible Bronze Age ring ditches on the south side of the River Avon photographed on 14 July 1959 show as dark rings. Some burial mounds also survive here but years of ploughing mean that they are now not very high. A straight-sided enclosure can also be seen below the mounds; this may be Iron Age or Roman in date. Above the barrows are the straight, parallel channels of the post-medieval water meadows (RAF 58/T3021 162). English Heritage (NMR) RAF Photography.

The images used on this page are copyright English Heritage unless specified otherwise. For further details of any photographs or other images and for copies of these, or the plans and reports related to the project please contact the English Heritage Archive.

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