Some stories refuse to stay buried. Some ghosts refuse to stay quiet.
There is an oft-repeated tale of a man found buried beneath one of the toppled Avebury stones, with skeletal injuries initially suggestive (when his skeleton was discovered in the early 20th century) of his being crushed to death by the stone itself. However, later inspection threw doubt on this theory, and more murderous ideas were floated. Old assumptions about the possessions found with him were also questioned: the supposed “Barber” or “Surgeon” might have been no such thing…
This two-part Channel 4 documentary from 2002 suggests that many of the details are suspect. It’s well worth a watch.
We are so convinced by the later theories, that we wrote the track “The Tailor” (on our Haven Avenue album) in reaction to them. Daisy began to wonder “what if..?” and suddenly there was a whole back-story spinning out into her imagination; Andy began to spin mystery, love and murder into his music: and a powerful, imagined tale for this pilgrim was woven. Avebury is a generously rich source for restless imaginations.
Haven Avenue 