Stonehenge

Understand

History

Evidence indicates that the area around Stonehenge has been occupied since around 8000BC, but it was during the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods that the vast majority of the monuments around it came to be built. Early work at Stonehenge itself began in 3000BC when an outer ditch and embankment was constructed, and standing timbers erected. From about 2500BC, Neolithic and Bronze Age man started to bring Bluestones and Sarsen stones from Wales and the Marlborough Downs. It was not until 1600BC that Stonehenge came to be completed. Most of the other monuments in the area such as Durrington Walls and Woodhenge date from the same period. A nearby hill fort was built during the Iron Age, and there is evidence to suggest that the area was extensively settled by the Romans. The nearby town of Amesbury was later settled during the Saxon reign in 979AD.

Stonehenge and the land immediately around it was bought for the nation in 1918. Being on the edge of the military training area Salisbury Plain, a large number of military facilities have also been constructed in the area, including military barracks, a light railway and an aerodrome built within a stone's throw of Stonehenge (most of which has now fortunately been removed). Since then the National Trust has acquired some 850 hectares around Stonehenge, and the area was given UNESCO World Heritage status in 1986.

Landscape

Stonehenge

Unlike the other monuments in the area, there is an entrance charge (but see below). An entry fee of £15.50 for adults and £9.30 for children (Apr 2016) includes an audio guide. Tickets are best purchased on-line before visiting, you need to give a time for your visit but except peak time there is some flexibility once you arrive. There is no access to the stone circle itself - visitors are guided around the monument by roped pathways and on-site attendants. The audio guide is available in several languages and if you listened to all available material would take an estimated 30–60 minutes.

It is not usually possible to walk among the stones themselves, but English Heritage and some tour operators from Salisbury can arrange early morning or evening visits allowing you to do this [3].

If on a budget, you can view the stones for free from the access land a short distance away on the north side. The access land also contans various tumuli (burial mounds) nearby.

Stonehenge Cursus

A huge and mysterious monument, the cursus is a 3 km long earthwork just north of Stonehenge. Consisting of a ditch and bank running east-west, it is still visible on the landscape, although its purpose remains unknown.

The Avenue

A ceremonial approach way to Stonehenge, the Avenue links the monument to the river Avon. Its ditch and embankment can still be seen from the stones, and its path can be followed up to King Barrows Ridge.

Winterbourne Stoke Barrows

A mile west of Stonehenge is a collection of every type of burial mound found in the UK. A neolithic long barrow creates an alignment that later Bronze Age barrows have been built on, including distinct bowl, bell, pond, saucer and disc barrows.

Normanton Down

Less than half a mile south of Stonehenge, this is a cemetery of over 50 barrows, including the famous Bush Barrow with finds in the Wiltshire Museum in Devizes . The area around the barrows is now an RSPB reserve for stone curlews.

King Barrows Ridge

Woodhenge

A contemporary monument to Stonehenge, Woodhenge was a series of timbers erected in oval rings, and like Stonehenge is aligned to the rising sun on the summer solstice. The old timber postholes are now marked with small concrete plinths (although there are plans to reconstruct the timbers as they may have looked), and although short on information the site offers a peaceful location away from the crowds at Stonehenge.

Durrington Walls

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