Wayland's Smithy, Neolithic burial ground on the Ridgeway, Oxfordshire, Great Britain.
The stone tomb contains two opposing transept chambers and a terminal chamber, forming a cross-shaped burial area with four large sarsen stones at the entrance.
Built between 3590 and 3550 BC, the initial wooden structure held fourteen buried individuals before a larger stone barrow was constructed over it around 3460 BC.
The site received its name from Wayland, a Germanic smith-god, first mentioned in a medieval land deed from 908 AD in Compton Beauchamp.
Access to the burial ground requires a one-mile walk along an exposed hillside from the White Horse Hill car park, with sturdy footwear recommended.
Local tradition claimed that leaving a horse with a coin at the barrow would result in the animal being reshod by an invisible blacksmith during the night.
Location: Ashbury
Operator: English Heritage
Website: https://english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/waylands-smithy
GPS coordinates: 51.56678,-1.59615
Latest update: May 27, 2025 09:58
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