Fyfield Down () is part of the
Marlborough Downs
The North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is located in the English counties of Berkshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire. The name ''North Wessex Downs'' is not a traditional one, the area covered being better k ...
, about north of the village of
Fyfield, Wiltshire. The down is a 325.3 hectare
biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest,
notified in 1951. The down has the best assemblage of
sarsen stones in England, known as the Grey Wethers.
The site is to be distinguished from another Fyfield Down also in Wiltshire, east of
Pewsey
Pewsey is a large village and civil parish at the centre of the Vale of Pewsey in Wiltshire, about south of Marlborough and west of London. It is within reach of the M4 motorway and the A303 and is served by Pewsey railway station on the Re ...
and on the edge of
Salisbury Plain, near another place called
Fyfield. The two places are only about apart.
Sarsens
The down has the best assemblage of
sarsen stones in England. The stones are known here as the Grey Wethers for their likeness to sheep when seen from a distance. They were noted by Col. Richard Symonds in his diary for 1644: "They call that place the Grey-wethers, because a far off they looke like a flock of sheepe."
[E. Herbert Stone, ''Stones of Stonehenge'', 2003:50]).] They support a nationally important
lichen flora. An alternative name for this natural rock feature is Mother's Jam.
[The Mother's Jam](_blank)
www.themodernantiquarian.com, retrieved 21 May 2013
The Polisher
On the west side of the down () is a recumbent sarsen stone with grooved markings.
[MONUMENT NO. 221769](_blank)
Pastscape, retrieved 21 May 2013 It is thought to be a prehistoric grinding bench for shaping, whetting, and polishing stone axe-heads, and is similar to other
Neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several p ...
and
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...
examples in France.
Dolmen
To the east is a prehistoric
dolmen known as
The Devil's Den
The Devil's Den or Devil's Den is a dolmen burial chamber on Fyfield Hill near Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. The chamber is part of a neolithic passage grave on Fyfield Down
Fyfield Down () is part of the Marlborough Downs, about north o ...
(). It is the remains of a neolithic passage grave which was reconstructed in 1921.
References
Sources
Natural England citation sheet for the site(accessed 31 March 2022)
External links
Natural England website(SSSI information)
Sarsen stones on Fyfield Down on geographImprovised music recorded on Fyfield Down
{{SSSIs Wilts geological
Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Wiltshire
Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1951
Hills of Wiltshire