Photo: Stefan Kühn / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
About this place
Stonehenge stands on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, two miles west of Amesbury, at the centre of one of the densest concentrations of Neolithic and Bronze Age sites in England.
The earliest earthwork ditch was dug around 3100 BC, and the great sarsen circle followed roughly a thousand years later.
What sets it apart is the jointing: the lintels sit on the upright stones using mortise and tenon joints, a carpentry technique found nowhere else in prehistoric Britain.
English Heritage manages the monument, while the surrounding land belongs to the National Trust.
Read more on WikipediaHistory
Building work spanned around 1,500 years, beginning with the first circular ditch and bank around 3100 BC. The sarsen circle was erected over subsequent centuries, with the bluestones repositioned at a later stage. The site has been a scheduled monument since the Ancient Monuments Protection Act 1882, one of the earliest sites to receive that protection. Stonehenge and its surrounding landscape were made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986.
Architecture
The outer ring of sarsen stones, each weighing about 25 tons, carries horizontal lintels fixed with mortise and tenon joints. Inside stands a ring of smaller bluestones and free-standing trilithons, two uprights joined by a single lintel, with the whole layout aligned to the solstice sunrise and sunset.
Worth knowing
Its solstice alignment continues to draw thousands of visitors each midsummer and midwinter, a tradition with roots reaching back centuries.
Facilities
Plan your visit
Nearest station: Salisbury Rail Station (7.5 miles)
Nearby properties
Heel Stone
View Heel Stone on heritage mapStonehenge Landscape
View Stonehenge Landscape on heritage mapStonehenge Cursus
View Stonehenge Cursus on heritage mapWoodhenge
View Woodhenge on heritage mapSt Andrew's Church, Rollestone
View St Andrew's Church, Rollestone on heritage mapHistoric places nearby
Within 5 miles of Stonehenge (SP4) there are 6 historic properties, including 3 historic buildings and 2 archaeological sites, across National Trust, English Heritage and Churches Conservation Trust sites.
Within 10 miles of Stonehenge (SP4) there are 11 historic properties, including 6 historic buildings and 2 archaeological sites, across National Trust, English Heritage and Churches Conservation Trust sites.
Within 20 miles of Stonehenge (SP4) there are 37 historic properties, including 15 historic buildings, 7 archaeological sites and 5 churchs, across English Heritage, National Trust and Churches Conservation Trust sites.
Facts
A 5,000-year-old stone circle whose lintels use a carpentry joint found nowhere else in prehistoric Britain.
- Type
- monument
- Location
- Wiltshire, England
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