'Stonehenge, where the demons dwell
Where the banshees live and they do live well
Stonehenge, where a man's a man
And the children dance to the pipes of Pan' - This is Spinal Tap (1984).
I recently took my second visit to Stonehenge (not good for someone who lives just down the road). Seeing the stones just once is enough for them to stay in your imagination for the rest of your life. Musings on why they are there, and what they would have been used for have over time ranged from the realistic to the fantastical; and its something I'm not even going to go into. If you have an interest in the stones it is worth a visit. Pictures honestly don't do them justice.
The last time I visited it was with the old set up, and the attractions offered were smaller. The museum is for me a bone of contention (if you'll excuse a bad, unintentional pun) because of the display of bones. As a history graduate I do understand the need to look at the remains of our ancestors so that we might learn more about them, what they ate, what age they lived to and how they died. However, I do not understand the need to then put them on display. Despite being interesting I believe that somebody wanted those bones to be buried. Somebody loved and cared for the person we display so ignominiously and debasingly, and I believe it their right to remain buried. That being said I thought the exhibition was interesting especially the map and the timeline, which really gives you an insight into other sites in the area, not to mention the age of certain other ancient world features in comparison to Stonehenge and the surrounding area. One thing I would like to see more about is its later uses, for instance Vortigern's meeting with the Saxons or as a pleasurable stroll for the Early Modern and later gentry. The stones have been in constant use, and constantly enjoyed for centuries; and it would be nice to know what it meant to these later people. Rather than a jump for prehistoric to antiquarians.
The walk around the stones themselves is very interesting, if not a little crowded. The stones might not look particularly huge, until you think about the time and effort which much have been involved with the moving and erecting of the stones, it was a feat of engineering which would be large today.
I believe that English Heritage are running the site very well, as they do with many of their other sites. I may not agree with the showing of remains but it was a very good few hours out, especially on a nice day. Salisbury Plain can be truly miserable no matter where you are in the wet.
Where the banshees live and they do live well
Stonehenge, where a man's a man
And the children dance to the pipes of Pan' - This is Spinal Tap (1984).
I recently took my second visit to Stonehenge (not good for someone who lives just down the road). Seeing the stones just once is enough for them to stay in your imagination for the rest of your life. Musings on why they are there, and what they would have been used for have over time ranged from the realistic to the fantastical; and its something I'm not even going to go into. If you have an interest in the stones it is worth a visit. Pictures honestly don't do them justice.
The last time I visited it was with the old set up, and the attractions offered were smaller. The museum is for me a bone of contention (if you'll excuse a bad, unintentional pun) because of the display of bones. As a history graduate I do understand the need to look at the remains of our ancestors so that we might learn more about them, what they ate, what age they lived to and how they died. However, I do not understand the need to then put them on display. Despite being interesting I believe that somebody wanted those bones to be buried. Somebody loved and cared for the person we display so ignominiously and debasingly, and I believe it their right to remain buried. That being said I thought the exhibition was interesting especially the map and the timeline, which really gives you an insight into other sites in the area, not to mention the age of certain other ancient world features in comparison to Stonehenge and the surrounding area. One thing I would like to see more about is its later uses, for instance Vortigern's meeting with the Saxons or as a pleasurable stroll for the Early Modern and later gentry. The stones have been in constant use, and constantly enjoyed for centuries; and it would be nice to know what it meant to these later people. Rather than a jump for prehistoric to antiquarians.
The walk around the stones themselves is very interesting, if not a little crowded. The stones might not look particularly huge, until you think about the time and effort which much have been involved with the moving and erecting of the stones, it was a feat of engineering which would be large today.
I believe that English Heritage are running the site very well, as they do with many of their other sites. I may not agree with the showing of remains but it was a very good few hours out, especially on a nice day. Salisbury Plain can be truly miserable no matter where you are in the wet.
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