Durrington Walls in Wiltshire is a part of the larger Stonehenge ritual site that doesn’t get many visitors. But you can’t understand the wonder of Stonehenge without appreciating where and how its builders lived.
Tag: Wiltshire
Ancient Neolithic link between Stonehenge and Dartmoor discovered
A study has suggested there may be a previously unknown link between Dartmoor in Devon and the ancient ritual landscape of Stonehenge. A new video on the Hidden History Channel looks into this. Watch the video below.
£1.7bn Stonehenge Tunnel contracts signed
Contracts totalling £1.7bn have been signed for the construction of the controversial Stonehenge tunnel despite the decision to approve the project still not being made.
National Highways confirmed the deal to construct a two-mile tunnel from Amesbury to Berwick Down in Wiltshire had been struck.
However the scheme is still in limbo as the Transport Secretary is yet to give the plan the green light following planning permission being overturned by a judge last year.
National Highways claimed the announcement “in no way pre-empts any decision” made on the scheme.
The plan was originally approved by previous Transport Secretary Grant Shapps in 2020, but his sacking when new Prime Minister Liz Truss took over from Boris Johnson has further muddied the waters.
Environmentalists and heritage campaigners united in their opposition to the scheme and were buoyed when Mr Justice Holgate overturned Shapps’ approval of the plan and said it was “unlawful”.
Derek Parody, the scheme’s project director, said the signing of the contracts meant that if construction can proceed, “having these contractors in place puts us in the strongest possible position to deliver this transformational scheme and deliver the benefits we know it can”.
The contracts would only become live “once the Secretary of State has concluded the planning process”, he added.
As part of the deal, a £1.25bn contract has been signed with MORE joint venture, which comprises FCC Construcción, WeBuild and BeMo Tunnelling.
This is just the latest development in the twisting saga of the hated tunnel plan which, campaigners fear, would damage the iconic Neolithic landscape and could threaten its World Heritage Site status.
Stonehenge tunnel: £1.25bn contract awarded despite scheme being quashed by court
National Highways has named its preferred bidder for the £1.25bn Stonehenge scheme.
It has chosen the MORE joint venture to construct the controversial tunnel and the main construction work for the A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down scheme at Stonehenge.
The contract has been awarded despite the planning application for the scheme still pending redetermination by Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps, after his decision to grant the Development Consent Order against the advice of the Planning Inspectorate.
The scheme was subsequently quashed by the High Court. But, undeterred by legal or procedural niceties, National Highways ploughed ahead regardless.
The body said that to ensure programme timescales are maintained it has selected the MORE joint venture, comprising FCC Construcción, WeBuild and BeMo Tunnelling, as its preferred contractor.
Project director Derek Parody said: “The announcement of a preferred bidder in no way pre-empts any decision, and once that is finalised, and should the Development Consent Order be granted, having a contractor in place will put us in the strongest possible position to deliver this transformational scheme and deliver the benefits we know it can.”
National Highways says the announcement followed a robust procurement process, a major part of which required shortlisted tenderers to develop their design solutions and demonstrate these as compliant with its requirements.
The MORE joint venture has put together a consortium comprising Atkins, Jacobs and Spanish designer Sener as the design joint venture.
Mr Parody also addressed the fact that the contract was handed to an overseas consortium.
He said: “They will be making best use of considerable UK skills by using a range of local, regional and national suppliers and contractors to help them deliver the scheme.”
In a statement, the joint venture said: “For the companies that are part of the MORE JV this project is a clear example of the development of sustainable, innovative infrastructures that not only provide traffic solutions but also improve people’s quality of life.”
The proposed plans include:
• eight miles of dual carriageway
• a tunnel at least two miles long beginning and ending within the World Heritage Site, closely following the existing A303 route, but a further 50 metres away from the Stonehenge monument
• a new bypass to the north of the village of Winterbourne Stoke
• junctions with the A345 and A360 on either side of the World Heritage Site
The scheme remains unpopular with campaigners who comprise a broad swathe of concerns, from those worried about irreversible damage to the historic site to neopagans who see the area as sacred.
Stonehenge insulted by visiting tourists – ‘Just a bunch of rocks…’
Stonehenge has been insulted by visiting tourists.
The incredible Neolithic stone circle was voted one of the top three worst tourist attractions in the world for value for money, but also derided as “just a bunch of rocks”.
The other two in the top three list were Buckingham Palace and the Empire State Building, in New York.
A survey of visitors’ reactions by the Park Sleep Fly travel company revealed that while many marvel at the Salisbury Plain monument, some tourists were utterly unimpressed.
One visitor complained about the £19.50 ticket price, saying: “It is a rip-off, typical British management, unfriendly sociopathic people greedy for money and adverse to culture.”
Despite the breathtaking site being the subject of a new exhibition at the British Museum, it stone circle and associated landscape turned off some tourists.
One said: “If you want to see a bunch of old stones piled on top of one another, go to your local cemetery” and another tourist added: “It really isn’t as impressive as you would think or imagine, the stones are a lot smaller than expected.”
Park Sleep Fly commented: “Stonehenge is a famous UK landmark, although it appears that a number of its visitors aren’t too impressed, with eight per cent of reviews being negative.”
Buckingham Palace scored fewer bad reviews than Stonehenge, with 3.3 per cent complaining about their experience for the £30 entry price.
One visitor wrote on Trip Advisor: “Waste of money, most of the garden roped off, extra to see the rose garden. I would not recommend this experience, more time is spent in the queue getting through security.”
And another, after touring the palace last August, said: “This should be a zero rating. Most of the garden is cordoned off and I would say the garden is shabby at best.
“They suggest you spend two or three hours there. You won’t be there that long because it’s boring, unless you picnic on the lawn. The Queen is definitely not a gardener.”
But at least the two UK landmarks did not rate worst on the list.
According to the 4.2 per cent of visitors who resented the £32.57 price of experiencing a trip there, the Empire State Building is the number one worst-value tourist attraction in the world.
One TripAdvisor reviewer said of the New York landmark: “The view is terrible.”
I have not been to the Empire State Building. And I have to say I’ve never had much regard for Buckingham Palace and think it is gaudy and unimpressive.
But Stonehenge is a captivating place that is well worth a visit.
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