Stonehenge: Travel Feature

But why was it constructed? Well, the simple answer is no one really knows, although there are lots of different theories. Perhaps it was built to carry out human sacrifices? A nicer thought is that maybe it had something to do with astronomy, but the truth is we'll never have a definite answer. It's not even certain why this site was chosen to have a stone circle, although there is certainly a feeling about this place, one that you can't quite put your finger on, when you visit.

Work at Stonehenge was undertaken in three main stages, with the first stage being a circle of timbers surrounded by a ditch and a bank. As you can imagine, there's little sign of those left today, but work from the other two phases can be seen.

The site was left as it was for some time - estimated to be something like 600 to 700 years, before it was rebuilt, using bluestones from the mountains of South Wales. Now considering that Stonehenge is not that close to Wales, we're talking more than 200 miles away, you can imagine how much work it must have been to drag that stone down to the sea and then float it along the river to this site. These are the smaller stones on the site.

In the final phase of work, the bluestones were dug up and re-arranged and a new set of bigger sandstones, known as Sarsen stones, were added. As you stand and look at these today, you really can't begin to comprehend how on earth they dragged them here from the nearby Marlborough Downs. Even though that's comparatively nearby, it's still a 20 mile trek! Then of course, there's the issue of how on earth they managed to get the things upright. Like many things about the history of Stonehenge, it's another case of nobody really knows, but it must have involved an awful lot of muscle and the strength of literally hundreds of men.

As you walk around Stonehenge today, the first thing that strikes you is the enormity of these stones. Then, there's the eerie feeling to the place. Of course, the great British weather often helps with that -- if you go there on a slightly misty day, as we once did, it really adds to the whole mystery of the place.