Fresh Moves to Protect Stonehenge?
Posted by Greg at 14:12, 16 Jul 2008The British government and English Heritage have asked for public consultation on some proposals to help conserve Stonehenge. Chief among the possible moves include moving the road which runs alongside the iconic site, and also moving the Stonehenge visitor centre.
Lord Bruce-Lockhart, chairman of English Heritage, said: "Stonehenge is the greatest achievement of prehistoric culture anywhere in Europe. "It is inconceivable that the inadequacies of the site should be allowed to continue any longer. "With political will and financial commitment I believe the Government can achieve a breakthrough this time."
The new urgency to protect Stonehenge seems to have been partly inspired by the Olympic Games, which will be hosted by London in 2012. It is expected that the massive influx of visitors for the Games will mean record numbers of tourists visiting the famous megaliths.
Bookmark/Search this post with
Comments
21 May 2008
4 years 15 weeks
There are actually two roads that run past the site - and meet just in front of it, so it's quite busy.
The complaint is that it's a horrible juxtaposition of the ancient and modern worlds, which I sort of agree with. It's hard to get a full sense of the place while trucks are thundering past.
On the other hand I drove by it yesterday on my way back from Devon (and on my way there a few days earlier) and was glad to get a glimpse of it, however fleeting. It was magnificent against the evening sky. If the planners had had their way, we'd have been forced through a dark tunnel instead.
The way things are, lots of people who live in England get to see a valuable part of their heritage, which otherwise most likely they'd only ever read about or see on TV.
22 November 2004
3 days 14 hours
How about building an elevated road instead of a tunnel? That would leave the landscape alone, yet leave a good view of the site. Sure the juxtaposition of ancient versus new is there, but in a more respectful way.
----
The large print giveth,
The small print taketh away.