Improvement work begins at Stonehenge

Culture Posted on 06/07/2012

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Renovations are in motion at Wiltshire's infamous World Heritage Site, Stonehenge. The upgrades are focused on refining road access and building an educational energy-efficient visitor centre.

Whilst the awe-inspiring stone circle continues to attract over a million visitors annually, its facilities and road links were described as a "national disgrace" by Simon Jenkins, a chairman of the National Trust. Visitors currently face overcrowded car parks and congestion on the A303 and A344 which run close to the world famous tourist attraction. The £27 million investment seeks to improve the visiting experience by closing the A344 and building a coach and car park at Aiman's Corner, one and a half miles west of the thriving tourist site.

Once the work is complete, travellers to Stonehenge will conveniently be taken to the stones by a shuttle service, but can choose to walk part of the way if desired. The visitor centre will include a gallery and will also have a didactic function, catering for all ages. The A344 should close in April 2013, with the advanced visitor centre opening in autumn that year. Travellers wishing to see the site during the upgrade need not worry as Stonehenge will stay open during the work.

British pride in the site rests on the fact that the stones represent the ancestors of various clans from the end of the Stone Age and the structure's formation required remarkable manual labour and cooperation, with stones brought from as far as Wales. Likewise, the solstice-aligned Avenue forms an axis aligning the midsummer sunrise and midwinter sunset. Hundreds of British residents and foreign tourists gather at the site year on year to celebrate the summer solstice at the end of June.

For more information visit the English Heritage site for Stonehenge.

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