Stonehenge

My mom is visiting me for a few weeks so her first weekend in town we took a bus tour to Stonehenge. I knew it was a site she has been looking forward to seeing for many years. 

There is a lot of mystery surrounding the origins of Stonehenge but we do know that the first phase of construction started around 3000 BC, when the outer circular bank and ditch were erected. A thousand years later, an inner circle of granite stones, known as bluestones, were added. 

The giant 4-ton blocks are thought to have been brought from the Preseli Mountains in South Wales, about 250 miles away. This is an incredible feat for Stone Age builders with only simple tools. It is thought they used systems of ropes, sledges, and rollers made from tree trunks. 

Although the original use of Stonehenge is unknown, during the 12th century it became a place of religious significance by Neo-druids. I like this quote from historian Ronald Hutton, "it was a great, and potentially uncomfortable, irony that modern Druids had arrived at Stonehenge just as archaeologists were evicting the ancient Druids from it."

In the past, Stonehenge was available to the public to touch the stones and walk through them. Unfortunately, many people took chunks of stones or carved their names into them. Even the great architect of London from the 17th century, Christopher Wren, carved his name there. Now you must apply and pay an additional fee to enter the inner circle for an hour outside of regular opening hours. 

Stonehenge is still steeped in mystery and new evidence has come out as recent as last year. Not knowing the exact history didn't make the site any less interesting. It is still impressive considering its age and the effort involved in its creation.  

A lot of people who had previously visited Stonehenge told me it was a disappointment. Even our tour guide, Ian, said "seeing Stonehenge for the first time is like meeting Tom Cruise. Much smaller than you'd imagined." Because my expectations were very low, I really enjoyed Stonehenge. So I would recommend going there with low expectations and hopefully you will also be pleasantly surprised.