... it was built by sun worshippers. Some still regard it as an energy portal or a place of empowerment given its location at the hub of a network of ley lines. The fact is no-one knows but many believe.
Perhaps the most famous prehistoric monument in Britain, Stonehenge as we see it today is the later result of works started almost 5,000 years ago. Then, there was little more than a large mound of ‘henge’. However, the site was abandoned for about 1,000 years before huge bluestones were carried over from the Preseli mountains in South Wales, a monumental task. These massive stones were dragged on rollers to the coast, then floated up and across the Severn estuary and up the Avon, Frome and Wylye rivers, then overland again to become Stonehenge. The stones were erected to form two double circles, one within the other, and an avenue that is aligned with the sunrise at midsummer.
Around 2000BC, huge Sarsen stones, weighing as much as 50 tons each were manhandled from the Marlborough Downs. These were arranged in an outer circle with a continuous lintel on top. Five trilithons, two large vertical stones supporting a stone lintel, were then erected in the middle in the shape of a horseshoe. The remains of these can still be seen.
About 500 years later, the bluestones were rearranged much as they are today but many of the original stones are missing.
If you’re visiting the West Country and would like to combine various attractions including Stonehenge, Bath and others, then one of the most desirable hotels near Stonehenge is Beechfield House.
Other places to visit in Wiltshire include Bath, Bowood House, Bradford-on-Avon, Caen Hill Locks, Calne, Bath, Chippenham, Corsham Court, Devizes, Lacock,
Longleat Safari Park, The Cotswolds, Wookey Hole
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