(See Image Map, ‘H’). The land on which the manor now stands became the property of a Benedictine monastery in 1114 and was held until the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII. At this point the manor became the subject of a quarrel between two local families the Truslowes and the Dunches. A lawsuit followed and possession of the manor was won by the Dunches. The manor was bought by Sir John Stawell in the year 1639.
(See Image Map,
‘H’). Named after and set up by the
archæologist Alexander Keiller, who was responsible for
excavating Avebury’s main circle as well as the Avenue in the 1930’s. His efforts in re-erecting
some of the fallen stones help to give the public an impression
of what Avebury must have looked like in its full pre-historic
glory. The museum houses many of the artefacts unearthed from
excavations of the monuments in the Avebury area by Alexander
Keiller himself, as well as those found by other archæologists.
The Dovecote.This quaint little construction housed (as the name
suggests) doves. It is reputed to have contained at one time
somewhere in the region of 500 birds—which in leaner years
served as a valuable source of food.
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