The visitors Center is a new building that was built to the specifications of an Australian architect. The site has gone through many changes over the years. In the 1930s you were given a hammer with your ticket and you were allowed to go down in chip off stones as souvenirs. Then in the 60s there were naked hippies doing acid and dancing with Druids! In the 80's the Stonehenge Free Festival solstice parties that had as many as 50, 000 people attending. Of course Margaret Thatcher did not like that and she came in with riot police to shutdown access. She put up barbed wire and the resulting protests, the Bean Field war, precipitated one of the largest mass arrests in Britain's history. Over 500 people were arrested with some 30 hospitalizations due to police violence. The government ended up paying compensation and removing any convictions. There is still some bad blood and bad feelings about all that. In 2000 the government of Britain was sued in the European Court. The basis of the suit was that the original land grants that gave the site to the government stipulated that people were to be given access to the site. The government lost that case. There are tours to see the sunrise from the inner circle that we had the option to book. The 4AM pick up time would have been too much. The center has a nice audio visual 360 degree theater that shows sunrises and sunsets, rain and snow and is worth the six minutes. There are mock ups of period correct housing and a possible sled and log roller system. It is estimated 60 to 80 generations contributed to the creation of this magnificent place.
This is the 360° theater
We "saw" the sunrise
Virtually glorious
Well spoke
A giant shaping stone
Like flying in the coach seats
Heave ho!
Possible transport scheme
Sample huts made by driving posts into the ground and weaving willow branches between the posts. Once the base is made chalk is packed into this region
Either a giant hat or a dwelling
A nest in the top of the hut
You can see the woven willow branches
A song to greet us
Not as comfortable as it looks
The thatch still had kernels of wheat within it
