STONEHENGE - NEW VISITOR CENTRE
Neolithic Mystery of Wiltshire
It is perhaps the world’s most famous pile of rocks. Standing in circular order, some toppled and askew, in the middle of a field in Wiltshire. Theories about its age and origins abound, with no certain conclusion to solve the mystery. Some archeologists put the age of the site at 2000 BC some a thousand years earlier. No-one knows its real purpose, though the stone pattern seems to suggest it is related to the arcs of the sun, perhaps a ceremonial earth fertility circle, perhaps a sacrificial or burial arena. Some have even suggested an extraterrestrial space travel marker of ancient times. Crop circles do appear in Wilshire fields from time to time. No-one knows how the stone monoliths got there, or even exactly where they came from. Some curious theories from Arthurian legends have proposed that Merlin the Magician raised the stones in Wales and transported them with the help of a giant, or a more revisionist version through levitation to the spot, a power perhaps giving to him by aliens. Other legends have them coming from as far as Ireland (see Newgrange Neolithic Tombs), but requires a leap of mystic faith.
The most recent theory of the purpose of the structure is suggested by findings of the Stonehenge Riverside project of digs uncovering cremated human remains dating from 3000 BC, suggesting that the location was the site of burials, perhaps thousands of years before the stones were placed in a formal ceremonial formation. Perhaps it is a neo-Driud version of a pyramid a burial monument to a single great chieftain or royal family. In any case, pilgrims of both the scientific and tourist variety have been coming to stand in the wind blown field to wonder and marvel at the primal human mystery of its existence.
To get to Stonehenge, the site is located about 9 miles north of the town of Salisbury (see Salisbury Cathedral Magna Carta), pretty much directly along the road route between Bath and Salisbury. Modern tourists to southeast England can make a pilgrimage to see the UNESCO World Heritage Monument by tour bus from London or Bath, or by car. From the visitor center, tram shuttles or busses carry visitors down a lonely country lane through sheep grazing fields to the site to keep it protected from the encroachment of the modern world, through the heavy traffic of the not too distant highway is a reminder that time does not stand as still as the stones have for the past millenia.
A circular walking path allows a 360 degree view of the site, though from a respectful distance. Back at the visitor center a small replica Neolithic Village is on display to give a sense of how the builders of Stonehenge might have lived, and a replica of a stone as it might have been moved - unless you subscribe to the anti-gravity alien conspicacy theory. A small museum exhibit presents the archeological story with a panoramic theater presentation, especially helpful if the weather is lousy. Access to the stones is provided on special event times for Summer and Winter Solstice days.
Visiting Stonehenge
Stonehenge has entered the modern day tourist world as well with the opening on the new visitor center. With a site so popular, entrance is through timed ticket with advance booking required. To get to see Stonehenge, you can drive up and get a ticket, but at busy times purchase ahead to guarantee a place. Prices valid through March of 2015 are £13.90 for adults, £12.50 Students and Seniors or 60, £8.30 for children. Open times are 9 am to 8 pm June to August, 9:30 am to 7 pm September through mid-October and the last two weeks of March, 9:30 am to 5 pm November to mid-March. Last entrance is 2 hours before closing. Special pricing is available with an annual membership to English Heritage, or for international visitors a British Heritage Overseas Visitors Pass includes Stonehenge as well as hundreds of other English Heritage sites, well worth it if exploring more historic attractions. Parking is free for ticket holders, £5 for others. By car, parking access is just off highway A360. By public transportation a public Stonehenge Tour Bus departs from the Salisbury train station. © Bargain
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SEE ALSO:
GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL - EDWARD II & HARRY POTTER
BRUNEL'S SS GREAT BRITAIN SHIP - BRISTOL
WINDSOR CASTLE - ROYAL RESIDENCE
BATH FASHION MUSEUM & ASSEMBLY ROOMS
BATH'S ROMAN BATHS AND PUMP ROOM
BEAULIEU NATIONAL MOTOR MUSEUM
