Project Stonehenge
STONEHENGE ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
Project
Background
Stonehenge is one of the most important
and popular ancient monuments in the world, attracting one million-plus
visitors every year.
However,
its landscape setting is severely compromised by the intrusion of roads and
traffic and
visitor facilities are outdated and inadequate - wholly inappropriate for a
cultural site of such importance and international renown.
Worse, the mystery and significance of the monument is difficult to appreciate,
with roads and fences cutting off its connection to the surrounding prehistoric
landscape and ancient monuments.
The £27million project led by English Heritage aims
to rectify this situation and achieve the vision set out in the Stonehenge
World Heritage Management Plan, which is to restore the dignity of Stonehenge by removing intrusive clutter and traffic in
its vicinity.
The
Improvements
A new visitor
building
Located
at Airman’s Corner some 1.5miles away from the stone circle, out of sight from
the monument, the new visitor centre is much more spacious than the existing
cluster of old and cramped visitor buildings. It
will present great opportunities for making the story of Stonehenge and its prehistoric setting
accessible and engaging for everyone, whatever their age and interests.
Apart
from a café and shop, it will feature much enhanced education space and galleries
with museum-quality exhibits, including an unusual outdoor gallery comprising
three Neolithic houses reconstructed from rare evidence found near Stonehenge.
New visitor transit
to the stone circle, with walking options
Low-impact
vehicles, carrying up to 900 visitors an hour, will operate a 10-minute shuttle
service from the visitor building to the stones. With one stop en-route, visitors can choose
to walk all or part of the way to the stones to discover the transformed
landscape and the archaeological features linked with Stonehenge.
Landscape
improvements
In
order to restore the dignity of setting of the stones, and to minimise the
intrusion of the modern world the following improvements will be made:
- closure
of the A344 – a road which currently runs right past the monument, almost
touching the Heel Stone and severing the Avenue, Stonehenge’s
ancient processional approach
- removal
of the existing car/coach park and visitor facilities, also adjacent to
the stone circle
- removal
of ugly fencing
- reinstatement
of the grassy landscape surrounding the stones
Timetable
The
project will be completed in two phases. The new visitor centre is scheduled to
open in late 2013. Once that is open, we will dismantle the existing
facilities and restore the landscape around the stone circle to grass. The
project will be completed in summer 2014.
Throughout the construction Stonehenge
will welcome visitors as normal.
Construction
work on the visitor centre started at Airman’s Corner in July 2012. The Highways Agency has also started works to improve
the Longbarrow roundabout at the junction of the A360 and A303. These
improvements will accommodate changes in traffic flows following the planned
closure of the A344 in June 2013.
Frequently Asked
Questions
1. Is the new visitor centre and car park visible from Stonehenge?
No, you cannot see them at all due to the
topography and that is one of the reasons why Airman’s Corner was chosen.
2. Why do you need to relocate the visitor centre so far away from the
stones?
The relocation of visitor facilities to Airman’s
Corner, 1.5 miles away, is necessary if we are to improve the setting of the
stones. We believe the distance is reasonable in light of the considerable
environmental benefits it will bring.
3. Why do you need to close the A344?
The closure of the A344 is essential for the
long-term management of the World Heritage Site and for the implementation of
the Project. The National Trust and the RSPB are among the organisations which
support this closure.
It will drastically reduce motorised traffic within
the World Heritage Site, especially those running close to the monument. The
setting of Stonehenge and other monuments will
be greatly improved. Importantly, the monument will be reunited with The Avenue
- its ancient processional approach. The original commitment to remove the A344
made by the UK Government to UNESCO when Stonehenge
was inscribed as a World Heritage Site will be fulfilled.
4. How is the project funded?
Apart from the £2.6m of DCMS grant-in-aid that was
spent before Government funding was withdrawn in June 2010, the £27m project is
funded by a combination of grants (including £10m from the Heritage Lottery
Fund), gifts from charitable trusts and individuals, and English Heritage
profits from its commercial activities at Stonehenge.
Key Facts
Stonehenge
- In 1883 Stonehenge
was formally recognised as a monument of national importance, protected by
the newly introduced Ancient Monuments Act.
- In 1915, it was then sold at auction and
bought for £6,600 by a local gentleman named Cecil Chubb.
- Three years later Mr Chubb presented it to the
nation and English Heritage took on guardianship of the site in 1984 when
it was established.
- In 1986 Stonehenge,
along with Avebury Henge and Stone Circles, was inscribed on the
prestigious World Heritage list.
A344
- The A344 first came into existence as a road
in the 1760s.
- It was taken over by the Amesbury Turnpike
Trust in the early 19th century and became a toll road.
- Where once visitors approached Stonehenge from
the south and west over unmapped and unfenced sheep pastures, by the
mid-19th century most people arrived by this road from the east.
- Increasingly within easy reach of the car
owning public, by the second half of the twentieth century almost all
visitors arrived by road from the east and today more than 6,000 motorised
vehicles use it every day.
- The
UK Government made a commitment to the World Heritage Committee in 1986 to
remove the A344 where it crosses the Avenue, when Stonehenge
was inscribed on the World Heritage List
Existing Car Park and Facilities
- By
the end of the 19th century, visitors were complaining of the
number of wagons, horses and unruly crowds. Consequently, attempts were
made to cope with the ever-rising visitor numbers.
- In
1935 a free car park was installed and in 1968 the current facilities
including the pedestrian underpass were opened, as visitor numbers reached
800,000 by 1977. These were later extended in the 1980s to accommodate
increasing needs.
