An interesting e-petition has just appeared on the Government website: Open Access to Stonehenge – Annual Midsummer Day Picnic.
Some bits of it are problematic from our viewpoint. For instance, what it says by way of justification is unlikely to be accepted nor is the principle of extending the access time ever going to find favour – see here. This bit is also a problem: “we now ask that there be a freely accessible, without charge, Annual Midsummer Day Picnic between the hours of Dawn to Dusk”. That implies people arriving in the dark so all the same cost, safety and conservation difficulties would remain and no way are the authorities going to agree to carrying on paying £200,000 a year to make it happen and forego another £50,000 in lost visitor income and let the people who want them to do all that come in for free! It just won’t happen.
However, we like the general idea of a daytime celebration (providing there isn’t overcrowding inside the stones) and we’ve been saying for some time it would be a better option in terms of cost, safety, conservation and “authenticity”. So we’ll have to see if the petition gets changed. An afternoon/evening event, including the sunset would seem to be the obvious way forward and would be a nice compromise in which everyone gets their core wishes – which is the only sort of agreement that’s ever going to be possible. It’s actually reminiscent of one of the ways we suggested the place could be used, a sort of community carnival starring the people of Amesbury in particular, since they were specifically mentioned by Cecil Chubb when he handed the place over….
One other thing that appears on the petition that we would broadly support is this: “We also call for an independent review of the Managed Open Access at the World Heritage Site of Stonehenge, especially in relation to access at Summer Solstice.” Some sort of re-think is certainly needed – in the interests of the main stakeholders, the general public.
The Heritage Journal 
13 comments
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04/08/2013 at 09:45
Jes
What cheapskates you make these authorities seem. Stonehenge is crown property, and the current climate is that the queen owes the people of Britain a great deal more than the value she currently gives. Pussy footing around over such comparitively trivial sums is an unacceptable insult, I honestly believe you will find. There is a breaking point!! Conservatism is hardly flavour of the month.
04/08/2013 at 10:15
Pennylan
What a cheek! Tell it to the hardworking, hard-pressed taxpayers who are the ones that actually have to pay because all the participants don’t!
04/08/2013 at 15:52
stonehengenews
Reblogged this on Stonehenge News and Information.
04/08/2013 at 16:34
Hannah
I can’t seriously be the only one who is uncomfortable with the idea of Stonehenge being open to the public. If anyone can just walk on it, Stonehenge might end up with damaged ground from so many people treading on it, not to mention litter and damage to the stones.
04/08/2013 at 17:26
heritageaction
“I can’t seriously be the only one who is uncomfortable with the idea of Stonehenge being open to the public. If anyone can just walk on it, Stonehenge might end up with damaged ground from so many people treading on it”
Quite. On a daily basis anyway (other than small numbers). The idea is ludicrous and could never work (although there are people who persist in calling for it).
Once a year, well controlled, would be different though. It would be easy to calculate how many people would be an acceptable number – it would be the level at which control was sufficient to ensure no-one climbed on the stones. That’s what we meant by “not overcrowded”.
Incidentally, latest research suggests the monument builders intended celebrations to be outside not inside the stones.
05/08/2013 at 11:34
JP Reedman
Free managed access is already granted four times of the year at both Solstices and Equinoxes. Anyone wanting to go in for a closer look without the crowds is free to book on a special access tour, run through 9 months of the year, at sunset and sunrise. I’m against any large gatherings of people inside the stones. The monument just cannot take it. The ground takes months to regenerate after such events, forever picking up lost change, fag ends and foreign objects stuffed into cracks, contaminating the archaeology for tomorrow. Several tons of litter is dropped every year at solstice. Human excrement was even found behind the Great Trilithon two years ago and felt tip graffiti on some of the stones.
05/08/2013 at 11:53
heritageaction
Agreed. But you are letting the event off too lightly. The Round Table has just been told, allegedly, that this year was the first Managed Open Access when no stones had been damaged. So there’s no justification for things to go on as they are, let alone for “Free and Open Access at all times”.
Our definition of overcrowding is a fair one – the point at which control is lost. That point can be conveniently identified by whether people are standing on the stones despite the extensive requests not to. If numbers are kept below that point there’s no problem.
Although, since research is now showing the stones were designed for celebrating AT not IN we would argue that the bulk of the “picnic” should take place outside the circle anyway.
05/08/2013 at 15:37
Ambrosius
lol Well the stones will be fine after all each & everyone of the Stones is well & truly Concreted in with at least 2+tonns of the stuff under each of them!!..
Good too Heritageaction having the controll over who can use Stonehenge.
sad very sad indeed
05/08/2013 at 18:28
Pat
Unsure what point you are making but if it’s that there should be no control we’ll have to disagree.
10/08/2013 at 13:11
Dr Jonny Blamey
As a childhood resident of Woodford valley I feel compelled to speak. Stonehenge is an ancient monument that is placed specifically to be in tune with the land. The stones themselves were deliberately selected and transported from Wales. The positioning of the stones is also in tune with the acoustic space and with the annual movements of the sun. The discussion of control of the site in terms of protecting the Stones from damage and ensuring a revenue stream for the state to my sensibilities seems blasphemous. If people were genuinely worried about the safety of the Stones and the sacredness of the Henge, then the best solution would be to grass over the three major roads that form an unholy triangle around the circle. If there were no vehicle access to the site this would mean less visitors of the wrong type. Furthermore the rumbling of traffic from these roads is relentless and damaging in all sorts of ways, from the violation of the acoustic space, to the damaging vibrations in the earth below the stones. Further more earthing over these disgusting roads in favour of an ancient monument to the sun and seasons and to the sounds and light that is our gift would send a lovely signal to the world that we care more about the preservation of science, beauty and the natural world than we do about motor tourism and the consumer frenzy that is destroying the weather system and perhaps even the feasibility of human existence. Were there no roads surrounding Stonehenge, then a picnic on midsummers day accompanied perhaps by some joyful dancing and laughter would be entirely harmless.
10/08/2013 at 13:35
heritageaction
“the best solution would be to grass over the three major roads”
No-one would disagree I’m sure. One will be grassed over next year but the cost of closing the main one is just too much say the Government so it’s a case of doing what can be done, for now.
11/08/2013 at 13:50
Pen Wyrd
WOW..You talk about the disturbance of cars…Like the lorries and coaches which now come down the drove from A303 and cars which choose to rip up the surface by driving as fast as they can along the droves! but no doubt soon to be closed by a gate! or the WIFI which will pervade the whole site once the “new dawn” has started!
I see there needs to be MORE time when celebrating people are in the monument and field. On all 3 mornings and evenings of the full moons and festival days. Where there is no contentious “leader” making all the decisions about who does what. So, more people can put less pressure on the site which raises MILLIONS OF POUNDS EVERY YEAR.
Taxpayers only pay for MOA if they go to Stonehenge and buy their tacky souvenirs etc.
I am not looking forward to being completely excluded from the whole WHS because I cannot walk far, would not be able to use their landtrain and do not have any support/wheelchair.
11/08/2013 at 14:25
heritageaction
As you’ll see here http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/stonehenge/access there is current provision for loaning a wheelchair out, letting a companion/helper come in for free and much else so hopefully the same or better has been planned for when the new visitor centre opens. You should perhaps contact EH to explain your needs.