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Stonehenge
Stonehenge is probably the most important prehistoric monument in the whole of Britain and has continued to attract visitors for thousands of years. Not only does Stonehenge serve as a source of fascination for tourists but the site also stands as a timeless monument to the people who built it. The orientation of Stonehenge is based on the rising and setting sun and has always been regarded as one of its many exceptional features.
Erected between 3,000 BC and 1,600 BC, some 82 massive bluestones from the Preseli Mountains, in south-west Wales were transported to the site in an astonishing journey which covered nearly 240 miles. Stonehenge was thought to have been constructed by no less than three different cultures using bones and antlers as their tools, requiring over 30 million hours of labour to build.
The original stones in Stonehenge’s bluestone circle have been removed or broken up over the thousands of years. Some now stand only as stumps below ground level.
The tours of Stonehenge will take you around the heritage site which covers around 2,600 hectares and includes over 400 other monuments with Stonehenge in the centre. The surrounding area has a dense concentration of archaeological remains, including hundreds of Bronze Age burial mounds and many other important monuments such as the Cursus, Woodhenge and Durrington Walls.
The reason for the interminable interest in Stonehenge cannot be limited to the sheer force of its visual impact but also because Stonehenge continues to provide an insight into a multitude of civilisations, including the Roman invasion, which it has observed. Evidence for such civilisations can be found within and around the site such as the discovery of Roman coins and medieval artefacts in and around the monuments.
Stonehenge’s position as such a central English attraction is perhaps the fact that it both temporally and culturally, connects us with our past, having existed throughout 200 generations.
Our visit to Stonehenge is one of the most popular sections of the tours. The reason why Stonehenge (literally meaning ‘hanging stones’) was built still remains an enduring mystery. Speculation on the purpose ranges from human sacrifice to astronomy.
Recently Stonehenge was voted ‘Britain’s Best Historic Site’ by viewers of the UK TV History Channel, emphasising the impact that this ancient monument has had on Britain and how it remains as important to England now as it was 5000 years ago.
