1000 Places to See Before You Die 8 - Stonehenge, England

Stonehenge is situated 137 km outside of London. My friend and I went there in 2005, when we were doing our grand Interrail trip of Western Europe. Before we went I had heard that other people thought it was a bit anti-climatic. But I thought it was awesome! We booked bus tickets at the British Information Bureau, and there was a free audioguide included in the entrance fee. I think I have heard something about them having spruced things up a bit lately, so things might have changed. Be sure to check ticket prices, opening hours etc. before you head out. Here is a useful website:  http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/ . 

At the site you are not allowed to walk close to the stones. When I was there there was a small fence set up around the perimeter of the site, and I think the closest you got was about 6-7 meters. But as the stones are pretty big that is plenty close to see history up close and personal. Try to come earlier or later in the day to avoid the masses. As for weather, it is England, so you might have to prepare for everything. But Stonehenge should look impressive in any type of weather!

When I was there I seem to remember there was only the actual stones to see, but they seem to have added a visitor’s centre with exhibitions and activities, so be sure to check that out too (all information is listed on the website given above). 

The famous stones of Stonehenge was erected about 2500 BC, but even before this the site was home to a prehistoric monument. This took the shape of an earthwork enclosure built in several stages. This form of the monument can be traced back to about 5000 BC. Actually the entire landscape around Stonehenge is dotted with prehistoric sites, including long barrows and a causewayed enclosure at Robin Hood’s Ball. As mentioned the stones were set up about 2500 BC, the large sarsen stones were set up in two concentric forms, an inner horseshoe and an outer circle, while the smaller bluestones were set up betweens these two lines in a double arc. The bluestones have been rearranged a few times since the initial set-up, and now they form a horseshoe. Between 1800 and 1500 BC two concentric circles of pits were dug around the perimeter. Perhaps these were meant for another rearrangement of the stones, that for some reason never happened. 

People continued to come to Stonehenge throughout history, although its importance as a cult site seemingly declined over the years. There is evidence of activity in the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, the Roman Period and the Middle Ages. In the 1800s many more people began to visit Stonehenge, as it became easily accessible by new roads and the railroad. There was great concern for the safety of these visitors, as many of the stones were only supported by timber poles. In 1900 an outer sarsen stone and its lintel even fell down, prompting the re-erection of the tallest trilithon which was also leaning precariously. This was done in 1901, and during the following years many campaigns to secure the stones took place, until the last stones were settled in 1964. 

Stonehenge, or at least the land it is situated one, was in private ownership until 1918, when the owner donated it to the state. From 1927 onwards the National Trust began buying the surrounding land in order to return Stonehenge to the original grassland setting. 

All information from the listed website and “1000 Places to See Before You Die” by Patricia Schultz