Stonehenge: Standing in the Shadow of Britain’s Ancient Past

There are some places that you have seen so many times in photographs, books and on television that you almost feel as though you already know them. Stonehenge is certainly one of those places. But standing there in person is completely different.

Set out on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, Stonehenge is one of Britain’s most recognisable landmarks, yet despite all the research and archaeological work that has taken place here, it still manages to retain a remarkable sense of mystery.

I had, of course, seen countless photographs of the stones before visiting, but nothing really prepares you for seeing them properly for the first time. From a distance they almost appear quite small against the enormous open landscape. As you get closer, however, their sheer size becomes much more apparent.

And then you start wondering the obvious question: how on earth did people manage to build this thousands of years ago?

Thousands of Years of History

Stonehenge was not built in one go. What we see today is the result of a long period of construction and alteration stretching across many generations.

The earliest major activity at the site dates from around 3000 BC, when a circular earthwork enclosure was constructed. The famous stone monument developed later, with major stones being erected during the centuries that followed.

That alone puts things into perspective.

People were gathering at this spot and changing the landscape around it more than 5,000 years ago.

The largest stones are known as sarsens, some of which weigh many tonnes. These were transported from the Marlborough Downs area, roughly 20 miles away. Smaller stones, known collectively as the bluestones, came from much farther away, with many traced to the Preseli Hills in Wales.

Exactly how those enormous stones were transported remains one of the fascinating parts of the Stonehenge story.

There were no modern cranes, lorries or machinery. Everything had to be achieved using the materials, skills and extraordinary organisation available to prehistoric communities.

Whatever methods they used, it represents a tremendous human achievement.

Getting Close to the Stones

One thing I particularly enjoyed during my visit was simply taking the time to look closely at the individual stones.

From photographs, Stonehenge can sometimes appear almost neat and uniform. It isn't.

Each stone has its own character.

Some are relatively smooth, while others are incredibly rough and heavily weathered. There are cracks, holes, patches of lichen and countless marks created by thousands of years of exposure to the British weather.

When you photograph Stonehenge from different positions, the monument also seems to change constantly.

From one angle you see the familiar arrangement of enormous uprights supporting horizontal lintels. Walk a little farther and suddenly individual stones overlap, creating completely different shapes and compositions.

Looking through the gaps between the stones also gives you glimpses of the surrounding Wiltshire countryside, which reminds you just how exposed the monument is.

There is something quite beautiful about that.

Stonehenge doesn't sit amongst modern buildings or busy city streets. It remains surrounded by a broad landscape and huge skies, giving the monument the space it deserves.

Why Was Stonehenge Built?

This, of course, is the question everyone wants answered.

And the simple answer is that nobody knows for certain.

There have been many theories over the years. Stonehenge has been described as everything from a religious temple to an astronomical observatory.

What archaeology does show is that this landscape was extremely important to prehistoric people. Burial sites, ceremonial monuments and other archaeological remains can be found throughout the surrounding area.

The alignment of Stonehenge with the movement of the sun is particularly striking.

At the summer solstice, the rising sun aligns with the monument, while the winter solstice sunset is also significant within its arrangement. These alignments were clearly deliberate and suggest that the changing seasons played an important part in whatever ceremonies or gatherings took place here.

But precisely what those ceremonies meant to the people who built Stonehenge disappeared with them thousands of years ago.

Perhaps that uncertainty is part of what makes the place so interesting.

More Than Just a Circle of Stones

It is very easy to think of Stonehenge simply as the famous stone circle, but the monument forms part of a much larger prehistoric landscape.

There are burial mounds, earthworks and archaeological sites spread across Salisbury Plain, revealing that this was once a landscape filled with activity.

Stonehenge itself would also have looked very different when it was complete.

Many stones have fallen, disappeared or been damaged over the centuries. What survives today is effectively the remains of what was once a much more complete and carefully constructed monument.

Looking at the fallen stones lying across the grass gives you a sense of that lost structure.

It also makes you realise just how remarkable it is that so much has survived.

These stones have stood through the Bronze Age, the Roman occupation of Britain, the medieval period, the Industrial Revolution and into the modern world.

Generations have come and gone around them.

Stonehenge remains.

Photographing Stonehenge

For me, Stonehenge is also an excellent place to photograph.

The monument changes enormously depending on the light.

Bright sunshine brings out the texture of the stones and the greens and browns of the lichen covering them. Cloudier conditions can create something much more atmospheric, while low sunlight produces long shadows across the grass and highlights the rough surfaces beautifully.

I found myself concentrating increasingly on individual stones rather than always trying to photograph the complete monument.

Close views reveal details that are easily missed from a distance — the weathering, colours, cracks and irregular surfaces.

It makes the stones feel much more real.

They stop being the perfectly arranged Stonehenge of postcards and become enormous pieces of rock that people somehow transported, shaped and raised thousands of years ago.

That, for me, is much more interesting.

A Place That Still Has the Ability to Surprise

Stonehenge is undoubtedly one of Britain's major tourist attractions, and it would be easy for somewhere this famous to feel slightly overfamiliar.

I didn't find that at all.

Seeing it properly made me appreciate the monument far more than I expected.

You can read about the dates, archaeological discoveries and different theories, but eventually you find yourself standing there looking at these enormous stones and thinking about the people responsible for them.

Who were they?

Why was this particular place so important?

How many people were involved?

What happened here when the monument was complete?

And what would those people think if they knew that, thousands of years later, visitors from around the world would still be coming to see what they created?

We may never have complete answers.

In a strange way, I rather like that.

Stonehenge remains one of those rare places where history, archaeology and mystery come together. After thousands of years, the stones are still standing on Salisbury Plain, still attracting attention and still making people ask questions.

Having finally stood there and seen them for myself, I can understand why.

Stonehenge isn't simply an ancient monument. It is one of Britain's great connections with a world that existed thousands of years before our own – and one that we are still trying to understand.

By Daren Frankish

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