Stonehenge

Website http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/ConProperty.313

Classification Historic Building

DescriptionThe great and ancient stone circle of Stonehenge is one of the wonders of the world. What visitors see today are the substantial remnants of the last in a sequence of such monuments erected between circa 3000BC and 1600BC. Each monument was a circular structure, aligned with the rising of the sun at the midsummer solstice.

There has always been intense debate over quite what purpose Stonehenge served. Certainly, it was the focal point in a landscape filled with prehistoric ceremonial structures. It also represented an enormous investment of labour and time. A huge effort and great organisation was needed to carry the stones tens, and sometimes hundreds, of miles by land and water and then to shape and raise them. Only a sophisticated society could have mustered so large a workforce and the design and construction skills necessary to produce Stonehenge and its surrounding monuments.

Stonehenge's orientation in relation to the rising and setting sun has always been one of its most remarkable features. Whether this was because its builders came from a sun-worshipping culture or because - as some scholars have asserted - the circle and its banks were part of a huge astronomical calendar, remains a mystery. What cannot be denied is the ingenuity of the builders of Stonehenge. With only very basic tools at their disposal, they shaped the stones and formed the mortises and tenons that linked uprights to lintels. Using antlers and bones, they dug the pits to hold the stones and made the banks and ditches that enclosed them.

View more information @ wikipedia
Photograph © Frédéric Vincent used under share-a-like creative commons License

Position

Photographs

The Address, , Amesbury, SP4 7DE

Phone0870 333 1181

DateAug 10, 2006

Contact NameEnglish Heritage

CategoryEngland > Wiltshire
England > Wiltshire > Attractions in Salisbury

Local Information

Other Nearby Attractions

Durrington Swimming and Fitness Centre is 3.00 Miles away
Durrington Swimming and Fitness Centre has a range of equipment, classes and activities for adults and...
Old Sarum is 6.24 Miles away
The great earthwork of Old Sarum stands near Salisbury on the edge of Wiltshire's chalk plains. Its mighty...
Wessex Raceway is 12.80 Miles away
Wessex Raceway - Europe's premier indoor karting track situated near Salisbury on the Wiltshire, Hampshire...
White Horse Boats is 13.74 Miles away
They run a wide beam trip boat and three steel hulled canal boats for hire. The business operates from...
Old Wardour Castle is 15.41 Miles away
One of England's most romantic castles, in a secluded lakeside setting Built in the late 14th century for...

Campsites located nearby this attraction

Stonehenge Touring Park is 4.35 Miles away
Stonehenge Park is well positioned as a touring centre. Salisbury with its fascinating history beginning in...
Coombe Touring Caravan Park is 8.46 Miles away
Coombe touring park was established in 1981. Our facility provides first class amenities and a warm and...

Golf Courses nearby this attraction

High Post Golf Club is 3.83 Miles away
With its stunning views High Post Golf Club, named after the site of an ancient gallows, is located on the...
Tidworth Garrison Golf Club is 7.10 Miles away
Most of our visitors return time and time again. It's an undulating downland course, with many trees and...
Upavon Golf Club is 8.42 Miles away
There have been golf holes laid out on the site at Upavon since shortly before the First World War when the...