Alexander Keiller Museum

Address: Stonehenge, Avebury

Opening hours: If you are planning to visit the museum, you would be happy to know that it is open seven days a week from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. It is closed only on holidays.

Contact: Telephone 01672 539250

17 miles from Stonehenge, you will find archaeological pieces collected in one museum. The Alexander Keiller Museum houses the most significant prehistoric artefacts, some of which are from the World Heritage Site (WHS) monuments. The spot itself is found in the Avebury WHS, which is owned by The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest and Natural Beauty.

The collections are kept and displayed at the Stables Gallery, which along with the Barn Gallery, can be accessed after you paid the admission fee. The Barn Gallery itself also belongs to the National Trust.

The National Trust is a non-profit organization that searches for some interesting buildings that it could preserve so that more people would be able to appreciate them for generations to come.

The Alexander Keiller Museum is thus named because it was Alexander Keiller, an archaeologist and entrepreneur, who collected the prehistoric artefacts that were featured. This museum can be found in the 17th century old Stables Gallery, which is being operated by both the National Trust and the English Heritage. The Barn Gallery, on the other hand, contains the permanent exhibit on Avebury’s history.

The museum itself is not that old. It was founded by Alexander Keiller only in 1938. However, the collections include artefacts from the Neolithic and Early Bronze Ages. There are also items that have been derived from later periods, such as the Anglo-Saxon age. You might also be interested in getting a glimpse of a child’s skeleton. The child is not known and had only been given the name “Charlie”. His body was found lying in a ditch by the Windmill Hill of Avebury. A 2010 decision has kept the skeleton on display at the museum although there was a 2006 request from the Council of British Druid Orders to have “Charlie” reburied. The collections on display at the museum are being loaned to the English Heritage by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

If you are planning to visit the museum, you would be happy to know that it is open seven days a week from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. It is closed only on holidays. The fee is only £4.40 for an adult and half of that for each child. The family package for two children and two adults is £12.20 and for one adult and three kids is £7.90. A visit to the museum is a perfect way to appreciate Avebury more.