Wayland's Smithy
Wayland's Smithy is an Early Neolithic chambered long barrow located near the village of Ashbury in the south-central English county of Oxfordshire. The barrow is believed to have been constructed about 3600 BC by pastoral communities shortly after the introduction of agriculture to the British Isles from continental Europe. Although part of an architectural tradition of long barrow building that was widespread across Neolithic Europe, Wayland's Smithy belongs to a localised regional variant of barrows - found only in south-west of Britain - known as the Severn-Cotswold group. Wayland's Smithy is one of the best surviving examples of this type of barrow.
The long barrow entrance | |
Map showing location in Oxfordshire | |
| Location | Near Ashbury |
|---|---|
| Region | Oxfordshire England |
| Coordinates | 51°34′00″N 1°35′46″W |
| Type | long barrow and chamber tomb |
| History | |
| Periods | Neolithic |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1962–63 |
| Archaeologists | Stuart Piggott |
| Condition | Restored |
| Public access | Yes |
| Website | English Heritage |
| Official name | Wayland's Smithy chambered long barrow, including an earlier barrow and Iron Age and Roman boundary ditches |
| Designated | 18 August 1882 |
| Reference no. | 1008409 |
The site's appearance is a result of restoration following excavations undertaken by archaeologists, Stuart Piggott and Richard Atkinson, in 1962–63. Their research of the site showed it had been built in two different phases. First as a timber-chambered oval barrow built around 3590 and 3550 BC and then later as a stone-chambered long barrow in around 3460 to 3400 BC. The barrow is on the same hill range as Uffington White Horse and Uffington Castle; it is also close to The Ridgeway, the ancient trackway across the Berkshire Downs.
The barrow, which is a scheduled monument, is under the guardianship of English Heritage and open all year round. It has been used as a ritual site in modern Paganism since the late 20th century.