New Tour Group Facilities Planned for Stonehenge

World Heritage Site Stonehenge has revealed its plans for new group facilities at the site, such as a new group reception building and a dedicated coach park.

A temporary coach park extension is currently in operation at the site, but English Heritage intends to make the enhanced offering for groups more permanent. The key proposals include the creation of a newly-designed coach park which will offer spaces for up to 53 60-seater coaches.

The park will be designed to ease congestion, provide safer pedestrian access and make group arrival and departure procedures easier.

A new group reception building will also be built with exclusive WC facilities just for group visitors.
It will include an internal ticket and audio guide collection area with more till points to speed up groups’ journeys into the site..

The plans also include the creation of a new visitor transit shuttle pick up point, just for groups.
This will be located next to the group reception building, meaning groups will be able to go directly from their coach to the famous stone circle.]

This will provide up to 900 visitor journeys in each direction, every hour at peak times.
There will also be an improved and enlarged drop off/pick up area at the stones.

Kate Davies, Stonehenge’s general manager commented, “We are now seeking to introduce a sustainable longer term and permanent solution, which also addresses other pressure points on site that have impacted negatively on our ability to fully offer world class facilities at this leading UK attraction.

“Our own experience since we opened our new facilities at Stonehenge in December 2013, together with feedback from industry colleagues and visitors and extensive research have all shown that these key improvements could make a massive difference in the future, whilst maintaining the integrity of the World Heritage Site.”

It’s hoped that the first updates will be made in time for summer 2017.
For more information visit www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge

The Stonehenge Tourist Guide

Stonehenge - New Discoveries - talk in Shaftesbury by Mike Parker Pearson: 19th May 2016

Shaftesbury and District Archaeological Group has arranged for Mike Parker Pearson to give a talk entitled "Stonehenge - New Discoveries" on Thursday 19th May at 7.30pm at Shaftesbury Town Hall. Mike is Professor of British Later Prehistory at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London and has excavated on archaeological sites around the world from Madagascar to Easter Island, to Orkney.

Mike led the Stonehenge Riverside Project from 2003 until 2009 and, with his team, revolutionised our understanding of Stonehenge, discovering a new henge and the settlement where Stonehenge's builders may have lived. The project collected three archaeological awards, while he received the UK Archaeologist of the Year award in 2010, and in 2012 he published a detailed book about the site which received glowing reviews.

Mike has since directed another major project in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, including the excavation of a Bronze Age settlement where he found the first evidence for mummification in prehistoric Britain. He is well known for his work on funerary archaeology and has written many books on this and other subjects.
By jspiteri  | Blackmore Vale Magazine

The Stonehnege Tourist Guide

The mysterious objects found in Stonehenge woman's grave are going on display at the visitor centre.

Mysterious jewellery and belongings of a woman so important she was buried at a prime spot overlooking Stonehenge are going on display at the monument's visitors' centre for the first time.

Archaeologists and historians are still baffled by some of the items found alongside the body of a woman buried in one of the dozens of burial chambers that line the ridges all around the horizon from Stonehenge.

But of all the barrows and graves that have been investigated, none have produced more incredible, well-preserved or mysterious artefacts than the one of the woman of Normanton Down.

This Easter the objects are going on display for the first time at the Stonehenge Visitors' Centre, with tourists asked to ponder what they could be and why they might have been buried with her.

Full story and image gallery in The Western Daily Press

The Stonehenge Tourist Guide