A couple of weeks ago we went to visit Stonehenge in Wiltshire.
Stonehenge is a world heritage site and is so famous it needs little introduction, but basically it is the best preserved neolithic monument in Europe, a unique stone circle made around 2500 BC. Obviously Stonehenge itself doesn't change much over the years but the visitor experience has changed quite a lot recently . There is now a fully fledged visitors centre which has its own large free car park, a large gift shop, a restaurant and then the Stonehenge exhibition. As you enter the exhibition there is a room which you stand in the middle of and it seems like you are standing in the middle of the stone circle, with images of it in different weathers and time periods projected onto the 360 screens around you. From there you pass to the main exhibition area which shows you how the site has changed and has skeletons and reconstructions etc in it and lots of information about life in the stone age. Outside the visitors centre they have built a small neolithic village using original materials which consists of about 5 houses that you can go in, that have helpful guides who will tell you anything you want to know about them. There is also a replica of one of the stones that you can attempt to pull and it tells you how many more people you'd need to help you. Once you have explored this area you can pick up a free audio guide and there are free shuttle buses that take you up to the stones. When you arrive the audio guides tell you in several different languages all about the history and meaning of the site. There are also members of staff on hand who were very helpful. Stonehenge is extremely well signed from all directions, and has lots of free parking. It took us about 2 hours in total for our visit but would depend on how long you want to look at the stones for. |
About Me.I'm Ruth. A mum to two boys and a believer of learning through experiencing. Archives
October 2016
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