Being Buried The Old Way

Previously in this blog I have shared pictures of my visits to some of the prehistoric long barrows that can be found in the South of England. Two of the most famous examples of these ancient burial mounds being the West Kennet Long Barrow in Wiltshire (circa 3650 BC), and Wayland's Smithy in Oxfordshire (circa 3700 BC).

I had assumed that the practice of long barrow burials had died out many years ago, however it seems that the practice is alive and well in the Wiltshire village of All Cannings. In September 2014, the All Cannings Long Barrow opened for business, with some suggesting that this is the first Neolithic style long barrow to have been built in the UK for some 5,500 years.

Costing around £200,000 to construct, the long barrow contains four large chambers, each of which houses 55 niches, which in turn can house four or five urns of remains. This potentially gives the long barrow the capacity to house the remains of around 1000 people. Unlike ancient long barrows which were the preserve of high status members society, the All Cannings Long Barrow is open to anyone, subject to a modest fee.

So if you are planning on dying soon and would like to be laid to rest in an ancient manner, then it may be worth checking out the All Cannings Long Barrow.

The All Cannings Long Barrow.

The entrance to the long barrow.

Peeking through the gate.

The view from the top of the long barrow.

Looking towards the Alton Barnes White Horse and Adam's Grave.

You will need to zoom.... a flight of seven biplanes over the long barrow.

The biplanes.

Pictures: Wiltshire (May 2015).

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