Wiltshire Events | Stonehenge Stone Circle News and Information

STONEHENGE SUMMER SOLSTICE 2012

25 04 2012

Stonehenge is an ancient pre-historic site. It has been a place of worship and celebration at the time of Summer Solstice since time immemorial.

Stonehenge Summer Solstice 2012

English Heritage is pleased to be providing Managed Open Access to Stonehenge for the Summer Solstice. Please help us to create a peaceful occasion by taking personal responsibility and following the Conditions of Entry and guidelines set out on the following pages. We have a duty of care to ensure public safety and are responsible for the protection of Stonehenge and its surrounding Monuments. If we are to ensure that future access is sustainable, it is essential that everyone observes and abides by these Conditions of Entry.

During the Summer Solstice access to Stonehenge, we support all individuals and groups conducting their own forms of ceremony and celebration providing that they are mutually respectful and tolerant of one another. It is a place seen by many as a sacred site – therefore please respect it and those attending.

English Heritage continues to work closely with the many agencies and people from all sectors of the community and we would like to thank them for their help and support.

Parking and entry to the Monument will be free, subject to the Conditions of Entry. Please do not arrive at the Solstice Car Park or Stonehenge in advance of the opening times listed below:

SOLSTICE CAR PARK OPENS
1900 hours (7pm) Wednesday 20th June
ACCESS TO STONEHENGE
1900 hours (7pm) Wednesday 20th June

LAST ADMISSION TO SOLSTICE CAR PARK
0600 hours (6am) Thursday 21st June
STONEHENGE CLOSES
0800 hours (8am) Thursday 21st June
SOLSTICE CAR PARK TO BE VACATED
1200 hours (12 Noon) Thursday 21st June – see the pages on Travel and Parking for further information on travel and parking arrangements.
WE HOPE THE WEATHER WILL BE KIND AND WISH YOU A PEACEFUL AND CELEBRATORY SOLSTICE.
Sunset and sunrise occur at the following times:

Sunset on Wednesday 20th June 2012 is at 2126 hrs (9.26pm)
Sunrise on Thursday 21st June 2012 is at 0452 hrs (4.52am)TRANSPORT FROM LONDON: As usual our friends at The ‘Stonehenge Tour Company’ will be providing tours and transport from London – click here

ENGLISH HERITAGE CONDITIONS OF ENTRY – CLICK HERE

Helpful links

For directions, click here.
For bookings, dog policy etc., you need to contact English Heritage, click here, the custodians of the site.
For special access to the Stones (not during the Solstice), click here.
The Avebury complex is a must on your itinerary and only a short journey, north, from Stonehenge. There is free, open access to the whole of this huge site. click here for more information.
Stonehenge and Solstice News / updates: https://twitter.com/#!/ST0NEHENGE

Link Source: http://www.efestivals.co.uk/festivals/stonehenge/2012/
Link source: http://www.visit-stonehenge.org/2012/04/summer-solstice-celebrations-at.html

Merlin says “Respect the Stones and see you there”

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Categories : Druids, Pagans, Solstice, Stonehenge, stonehenge 2012, Stonehenge news, stonehenge open access, stonehenge summer solstice 2012, Stonehenge tours, Visit Wiltshire, Wiltshire Events, world heritage site

Celebrate World Heritage Day at Stonehenge and Avebury.

18 04 2012

World Heritage Day is celebrated annually on 18th April. This year, (also the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention), English Heritage experts are on hand to help you discover the prehistoric landscapes at Stonehenge and Avebury and to show how World Heritage Status is helping to conserve them.

Stonehenge and Avebury became a World Heritage Site in 1986 for their outstanding prehistoric monuments dating from around 3,700 to 1,600 BC. The stone circle of Stonehenge is recognised throughout the world and the site is very special. The 2,600 hectares of surrounding landscape contains 350 burial mounds and prehistoric monuments such as the the Cursus, Woodhenge and Durrington Walls. Part of this landscape is also managed by the National Trust.

Avebury is the largest prehistoric stone circle in the world. The site includes Windmill Hill, the West Kennet Long Barrow, the West Kennet and Beckhampton Avenues, the Sanctuary, Silbury Hill (the largest prehistoric mound in Europe), the West Kennet Palisaded Enclosures, and important barrows.

The event is from 10am to 6pm on April 18th and tickets cost £35 (includes refreshments). Booking via English Heritage is essential: 0870 333 1181.
Link: http://www.insidewiltshire.co.uk

What is World heritage Day ?

World Heritage Day 18th April 2012 – Get Involved!

This year’s theme has been chosen to mark the 40th anniversary of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, which was adopted in 1972. The focus will be on “World Heritage and Sustainable Development: the Role of Local Communities”.

This special day offers an opportunity to celebrate local heritage all over the world! Why not get involved … there’s any number of things you could do to celebrate World Heritage Day 2012 …

Provide free admission to your heritage site
Publicise your site in local newspapers or radio
Hang World Heritage Day banners on your local sites
Organise a public talk or lecture on your local heritage
Put together an exhibition celebrating your local heritage
Award a prize to soemone who has made an outstanding contribution to your local heritage
Inaugurate a recently restored monument
Get the kids involved with tours or treasure hunts

World Heritage Day (International Day for Monuments & Sites) was created in 1982 by ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments & Sites) and was later approved at the UNESCO General Conference in 1983.
Sponsored by ‘The Stonehenge Tour Company’ www.StonehengeTours.com

Merlin @ Stonehenge
The Stonehenge Stone Circle News Blog Blog

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Categories : archaeologists, Avebury, stonehenge funding, stonehenge guide, Stonehenge news, Stonehenge tours, UNESCO Day, Visit Wiltshire, wiltshire, Wiltshire Events, world heritage site

The Festival presents Fire Garden at Stonehenge for the London 2012 Festival

4 04 2012

As the sun goes down over one of Britain’s most iconic World Heritage sites, French outdoor alchemists Compagnie Carabosse fan the flames of our imaginations with an elemental Fire Garden.

A magical, sensory experience awaits you as Stonehenge is transformed into a glowing fairytale

Fire Garden at Stonehenge 2012

environment where fire sculptures dance in the landscape, mysterious fiery engines illuminate the stones and flaming fire pots and cascades of candles line the pathways.

The experience promises to be a highlight of the London 2012 Festival, a 12 week UK-wide celebration in the summer of 2012 featuring leading artists from the UK and around the world.

Maria Bota, Festival Director said:

“We aim to inspire, entertain and make moments which transform people and spaces. Our thanks to the remarkable Compagnie Carabosse for their beautiful fire garden creations, to English Heritage, with whom we have worked for many years at Stonehenge, for their continued collaboration and to London 2012 for enabling us to bring this idea to flickering life.”

The event will run in the evenings from Tuesday 10^th July to Thursday 12^th July 2012. Spend 30 minutes or an hour one evening and enjoy this gloriously atmospheric feast for the senses.

Carabosse have staged their striking installations across Europe. Each event is unique to its specific location, and here they ignite their creative spark to create a remarkable moment in the historic Wiltshire landscape, especially presented by Salisbury International Arts Festival.

As the event runs, visit our website to see the project celebrated on a digital platform.

Fire Garden at Stonehenge and to register your interest for future updates. Those registering interest will receive regular e-mail updates from Salisbury International Arts Festival about the event including announcements of the on sale date in 2012 and ticket information.

The London 2012 Festival, 21 June – 9 September, will celebrate the huge range, quality and accessibility of the UK’s world-class culture, and give the opportunity for people across the UK to celebrate the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. For more information on the programme which spans music, theatre, dance, visual arts, literature, film and fashion, visit http://www.london2012.com/festival.

Press:

Contact Abi Singleton, Development and Communications Manger, Salisbury International Arts Festival, abi@salisburyfestival.co.uk01722 332241

Link: http://www.salisburyfestival.co.uk

Merlin says “This looks well worth a visit, see you there”

Sponsored by ‘The Stonehenge Tour Company’ www.StonehengeTours.com

Merlin @ Stonehenge
The Stonehenge New Website

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Categories : Fire Garden at Stonehenge, London Olympics, Salisbury festival, stonehenge 2012, Stonehenge news, Stonehenge tours, Visit Amesbury, visit salisbury, Visit Wiltshire, Wiltshire Events, Wiltshire Olympics, world heritage site

Olympic flame will, at last, go to Stonehenge

3 04 2012

Olympic torch relay organisers have reassured tourism bosses that the Olympic flame will visit the iconic backdrop of Stonehenge, after it was left off the official relay route through the West.

Instead of forming part of the public route through Wiltshire in July, the Olympic flame will be taken at dawn to the stones for a closed photo opportunity the morning after its overnight stop in nearby Salisbury.

The Olympic torch will now visit Stonehenge and Glastonbury Tor

The decision does mean, however, the public will not be able to descend on Stonehenge to see the once-in-a-lifetime moment it is carried around the Neolithic monument.

English Heritage, which manages the stones, and Olympic Torch Relay bosses confirmed the early morning visit after publishing a route which did not include Stonehenge or Avebury.

Western Daily Press reader Margaret Scott said: “Obviously Stonehenge is one of the major tourist attractions in Britain and it just seemed ridiculous if the torch relay is going to Amesbury but not going a mile to the west to be run around Stonehenge. They surely are not missing it out?”

A spokesman for English Heritage said that they had been informed by the Olympic organisers that the torch would be driven to Stonehenge and back again early on July 12, before it is scheduled to leave Salisbury Cathedral, for a photocall.

“Rest assured the opportunity to have the Olympic torch at Stonehenge is not going to be missed,” said a spokesman.

The National Trust has also confirmed that the torch is due to be carried up to the top of Glastonbury Tor on Tuesday May 22 – again not as part of the published route, which merely suggests the relay will pound the streets of the town. But it appears there is not such good news for another of the West’s historic sites.

The next day, on Wednesday, May 23, the torch is travelling from Bristol to Gloucester via Wiltshire, but it appears there are no plans to stop at the Avebury stone circle.

Source: http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/

Merlin says “Great news for Wiltshire Tourism”

Sponsored by The Stonehenge Tour Company – www.StonehengeTours.com

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Categories : Avebury, bath tours, london olympics 2012, Stonehenge, stonehenge 2012, Stonehenge news, Stonehenge tours, visit salisbury, Visit Wiltshire, wiltshire, Wiltshire Events, Wiltshire Olympics, world heritage site

1st Exhibition of Mesolthic Amesbury – 3000 years before the Stones

24 03 2012

Resulting from the Amesbury 2012 initiative lead by Mayor Andy Rhind-Tutt and supported by Amesbury Town Council, local people and our Druids we are pleased to announce that Amesbury Town Council, have completed the purchase of the Melor Hall in Amesbury (Opposite the Antrobus Arms) and will now move to the process of planning and building the Town its first ever Museum and interpretation centre.

This will tell the Story of Amesbury and interest a percentage of those millions of tourists that visit our Stonehenge, bolstering the local economy and mutually supporting the two existing museums of Salisbury and Devizes and Stonehenge.

On the Easter weekend, the existing hall will be used for an exhibition highlighting the Mesolithic rich heritage that is being found. This will feature live archaeology taking place locally at one of the most exciting dig sites in Britain today.

Meet the archaeologists, ask questions, handle finds and discover for yourselves the wonders of the Mesolithic Salisbury Plain.

Sponsored by ‘The Stonehenge Tour Company’ http://www.StonehengeTours.com

Merlin says “This is great news for Stonehenge, Amesbury and Wiltshire Tourism 2012. See you at the Easter Weekend event”

The Stonehenge Stone Circle Website