Book Review: Stonehenge and Avebury by Rodney Legg

This is a fantastic gazetteer that covers sites at Avebury and Stonehenge.

Avebury is covered first and begins with a simple labelled map of sites, which aids context when reading the descriptions, but wouldn't easily be used to find the off-road sites within the Avebury World Heritage Site area. However, that's not a problem as OS map references are provided and are likely to be clearly labelled on OS maps of the area.

Along with descriptions of the site and items of special interest within each site, some historical context is provided, which can really help with understanding just how recently a lot of features, particularly underground features, were discovered. Interestingly, I read that Woodhenge was assumed to be a ploughed-out disc barrow until the advent of archeaological aerial reconnaissance in 1925.

There are photographs showing many of the sites and particular features of interest, including a lot of snow scenes, which can allow a lot of detail to be revealed within a site (particularly features on stone).

The Avebury section receives about a third of this book, with the Stonehenge area recieving the rest. Sites covered in the Avebury area include, but not limited to:
Adam and Eve
Avebury
Beckhampton Avenue and Longbarrow
Devil's Den
East Kennet Long Barrow
Lockeridge Dene
Seven Barrows
Silbury Hill
West Kennet Avenue, Henge Monuments, and Long Barrow
Windmill Hill.

As this is a blog focused on the Calne area, I haven't listed the Stonehenge sites, but rest assured that there are many.

This is a good book to read offsite and to have with you onsite to gain insight into these marvellous structures that almost seem to be littered around us. Definitely worth a read.

Jan Ingen Housz: Anniversary of his death at Bowood, 7 Sep 1799 - Part 2.

This plaque is located outside the door of Calne library and reads:

Jan Ingen Housz

The Dutch physician, Jan Ingen Housz MD, FRS (1730-1799) was doctor in the Austrian Royal Family but was in England in 1779. Before returning to Vienna he spent that summer performing over 500 experiments in a house near London.

These proved, for the first time, that the green parts of plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen in sunlight: in other words they purify the air we breathe. At the same time the carbon absorbed is converted to starch so that plants are also the ultimate source of all our food. We therefore commemorate the genius of Ingen Housz, the discoverer of what we now cal photosynthesis.

He returned to live in England later in life and was a frequent guest at Bowood House, where he died. He is buried in Calne, in a vault under St. Mary's Church.

The decorative paving was created by members of the Calne Artists Group: David Reeves the overall design and ceramic leaves, Vivien ap Rhys Price the head of Ingen Housz from a 1768 medallion. Photocast of Liverpool cast the bronze.

Calne, From the Canal drawing by William Westall

We recently added this wonderful donated drawing to our collection at Calne Heritage Centre. It was drawn by the landscape artist, William Westall ARA (1781-1850), who was one of the first artists to work in Australia.

This drawing, dated 1830 and titled 'Calne, From the Canal', was included in the book The Landscape Album; or, Great Britain Illustrated, which contained 59 views all by Westall, and luckily this one of the canal at Calne looking towards St. Mary's church. In the book were descriptions of the scenery and history of the locations by Thomas Moule, which can be seen in the image below.

Calne Heritage Catalogue number: TH00002A
The book is available to view at archive.org.