10,000 years ago, late Ice Age and early post-glacial communities moved
through the Kennet Valley to the Thames, following game and taking
advantage of sheltered positions to make their camps. Favourable
geological conditions in the neighbourhood of Newbury have preserved
several of these camp sites in situ. One of these, Avington VI, has
revealed evidence of structures which are, so far, unique in Britain.
The remarkable concentrations of Long Blade artefacts provide insights
into the daily activities of the hunters who lived there. Other sites
fill in the details about ecological conditions during this period of
climate change and how humans adapted to them.