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The marvel of Stonehenge: Origins, myths, and meaning

Located in Wiltshire, Stonehenge is a prehistoric stone circle built between 3100 and 1600 BC. Its massive stones were arranged with remarkable engineering skill and align with the solstices. Part of a broader ancient landscape, it’s now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and global archaeological icon!

Quick facts about Stonehenge

Stonehenge stone circle under blue sky on a day trip from London.
  • Official name: Stonehenge (part of the Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites World Heritage Site)
  • Location: Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England
  • Construction period: Circa 3100–1600 BC
  • Opening hours: Typically 9:30am to 7pm during summer and 9:30am to 5pm during winter 
  • Creators: Unknown (prehistoric builders)
  • Architectural style: Prehistoric megalithic; Neolithic and Bronze Age ceremonial monument
  • UNESCO World Heritage status: Designated in 1986
  • Annual visitors: Approximately 1.5 million
  • Original function: Ceremonial, religious, and burial site
  • Current function: Heritage site and popular tourist attraction

Plan your visit to Stonehenge

Tourists at Stonehenge, viewing ancient stone structures on a day trip from London.
  • Opening hours: Stonehenge is open daily from 9:30 AM to 7:00 PM in summer (April to September) and from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM in winter (October to March).
  • Last entry: Entry closes 2 hours before the site shuts.
  • Closed on: December 25
  • Visit duration: Most visitors spend 40 minutes to 2.5 hours at the site. You’re free to explore at your own pace, but be mindful of seasonal closing times.

Address: Salisbury SP4 7DE, UK

Find on Maps

Stonehenge is located on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, southern England, surrounded by open grasslands and part of a broader prehistoric landscape filled with burial mounds and ancient earthworks.

Closest landmark: Cuckoo Stone (7.7km)

Things to see at Stonehenge

Stonehenge stone circle on a grassy plain in Wiltshire, England.
Visitors at Stonehenge visitor center during London to Stonehenge and Bath day trip.
Visitors pulling a large stone replica at Stonehenge exhibit during half-day tour from London.
Aerial view of Stonehenge with visitors standing among the ancient stone circle in Wiltshire, England.
Reconstructed Neolithic huts near Stonehenge, England.
Heel Stone at Stonehenge with green fields and blue sky in the background.
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Stonehenge Stone Circle

Dating back over 4,000 years, the stone circle is made of huge sarsen and bluestones aligned with astronomical events like the solstices. You’ll walk a designated path around the structure, coming within five metres of these ancient ceremonial structures, getting close views of the towering sarsens, Heel Stone, and Slaughter Stone without disturbing their fragile prehistoric setting.

Stonehenge visitor centre

Located a short distance from the monument, the Visitor Centre is your starting point, offering exhibitions, multimedia experiences, a shop, and café. It provides essentials like tickets, restrooms, and parking, plus a shuttle to the stones. It’s the ideal place to understand the monument’s significance before exploring the wider site.

Exhibition hall

The Exhibition Hall brings Stonehenge’s builders to life through real finds. View ancient jewelry, ceramics, burial items, and flint tools discovered in the surrounding landscape. All of these items featured in the hall reveal how prehistoric people lived, worked, and treated the dead, offering a rich human perspective alongside the stones themselves.

360-degree virtual stones experience

This immersive digital display lets you virtually stand inside the stone circle through different seasons. High-definition projections simulate sunrises, ancient gatherings, and construction scenes, revealing Stonehenge’s changing role in ritual, astronomy, and community over thousands of years.

Neolithic houses

Next to the Visitor Centre, five reconstructed Neolithic houses show how people lived when Stonehenge was built. With clay walls, thatched roofs, and replica tools, they offer hands-on insight. Volunteers sometimes demonstrate ancient skills like fire-starting, grain grinding, or rope-making, and all of this is based on archaeological evidence.

Bronze Age burial mounds

These ancient low grassy barrows, located near the ceremonial Avenue and Cursus, once held the remains of Bronze Age individuals dating back over 3,000 years. Their placement suggests a strong link between burial, procession, and the spiritual life surrounding Stonehenge’s stone circle.

History of Stonehenge

  • 8500–7000 BC: Hunter-gatherers place some of Britain’s earliest wooden posts near the future site, suggesting the area already held ritual or territorial significance in the prehistoric landscape.
  • 3500 BC: Early farmers built ritual and burial monuments like long barrows and enclosures in the wider landscape, indicating growing ceremonial importance of the site.
  • c. 3100–2950 BC: A circular ditch and bank are constructed with 56 Aubrey Holes, possibly for timber or stones. The site became Britain’s earliest large-scale cremation cemetery.
  • c. 2900–2600 BC: Wooden structures are added at the centre and entrances. Many burials occur as reused Aubrey Holes and new pits reflect the site's evolving funerary role.
  • c. 2600–2480 BC: At least 82 bluestones from Wales are erected in concentric arrangements. The Altar Stone may also be positioned, marking the first major stone phase.
  • c. 2500 BC: Massive sarsens form the iconic outer circle and trilithon horseshoe. Builders use complex woodworking-style joints to create a monument aligned with solstices.
  • c. 2280–2030 BC: Bluestones are rearranged into a circle and inner oval. A ceremonial avenue links Stonehenge to the River Avon, and nearby burial mounds expand significantly.
  • After 1600 BC: Construction slows, but Stonehenge remains a ritual site. New carvings, like axe-heads and daggers, appear on stones. Burial and ceremonial use continues.
  • 14th–19th centuries AD: Interest grows among antiquarians and artists, but the site suffers from erosion and stone-robbing. Drawings and writings help preserve historical knowledge.
  • 1918 AD: Cecil Chubb donates Stonehenge to the nation. Conservation begins, leading to increased research, protection, and visitor access as it becomes a global heritage icon.

Architecture of Stonehenge

Tourists walking around Stonehenge on a day trip from London.

Constructed in multiple stages, Stonehenge’s architecture combines a circular earthwork, carefully arranged sarsens, and repositioned bluestones. Massive stones were shaped and joined using woodworking techniques like mortise-and-tenon joints. The monument aligns with solstice sunrises and sunsets, highlighting the builders’ precision and understanding of both landscape and celestial movements thousands of years ago.

Who built it?

Stonehenge was built by Neolithic farmers who migrated to Britain around 4000 BCE from the Aegean region. Genetic and isotope evidence links them to populations in Iberia, Central Europe, and Wales, suggesting both people and bluestones traveled long distances. The monument was a communal effort involving entire farming communities, not just specialists.

Frequently Asked Questions about Stonehenge

Why is Stonehenge considered such an important archaeological site?

It’s one of the world’s best-preserved prehistoric monuments, offering direct evidence of ancient engineering, ritual practices, and long-distance connections between communities across Britain and Europe over several centuries.

Are the stones at Stonehenge still in their original positions?

Some are, but not all. Over thousands of years, several stones have fallen, been removed, or repositioned. Partial restorations in the 20th century helped stabilise the site without fully reconstructing it.

How far did the bluestones at Stonehenge travel?

The bluestones were transported over 140 miles from the Preseli Hills in west Wales. The exact method is still debated, but this long-distance effort highlights the site's immense cultural value.

What tools were used to shape and move the stones?

Neolithic builders used stone hammers and antler picks. Despite lacking metal tools or wheels, they achieved remarkable precision by applying advanced knowledge of leverage, carving, and construction techniques adapted from woodworking.

Has Stonehenge always been a tourist attraction?

No. Until the 19th century, it was largely unprotected and subject to damage and stone-robbing. Interest from antiquarians grew during the 1700s, but major tourism only began after conservation efforts in the 20th century.

Is Stonehenge aligned with any other monuments nearby?

Yes. It’s connected by a ceremonial Avenue to the River Avon and aligned with sites like Durrington Walls and Woodhenge, forming a wider ritual landscape with planned sightlines and pathways.

Why are there carvings on some of the sarsen stones?

Stone 53, for example, features axe-head and dagger carvings from the Bronze Age. These were likely symbols of power or protection, added long after the main structure was completed.

How was the Stonehenge site chosen in the first place?

The area already held spiritual significance. Nearby monuments and natural features suggest the site was selected for its visibility, geology, and connection to seasonal sun paths.

Has Stonehenge ever been used in modern celebrations?

Yes. It’s a focal point for solstice gatherings and modern Pagan, Druid, and spiritual ceremonies. Thousands visit during the summer solstice to witness the sunrise aligning with the Heel Stone.

How does Stonehenge differ from other stone circles in Britain?

Most stone circles are smaller, lack lintels, and have no clear astronomical alignments. Stonehenge’s size, precision, and use of woodworking joints in stone construction make it architecturally unique.

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