Stonehenge may be just some old stones that have been there for a while to some of us, but to others they are a huge part of our history. To embrace the historic significance of the 4000 year old stones, a new visitor centre and museum has just been built.
The Stonehenge visitor centre and museum is located around two kilometres away from the stones, but the good news is that you won’t have to walk between the two. There is a Land Rover pulling a train that can chauffeur people to and from the Salisbury Plain landmark.
The visitor centre, which cost £27 million to construct, is not yet open to the public but it is expected to open in time from Christmas on the 18th December. The centre is designed to give visitors the background to the famous stones and provide a virtual tour of the site. Around 300 artefacts found around the area will also be on display.
Speaking of the new visitor centre and museum, the Chief Executive of English Heritage, Simon Thurley, said: “This world famous monument, perpetually described as a mystery, finally has a place in which to tell its story.
“The exhibition will change the way people experience and think about Stonehenge forever – beyond the clichés and towards a meaningful inquiry into an extraordinary human achievement in the distant past.
“The exhibition will put at its centre the individuals associated with its creation and use, and I am very proud with what we have to unveil to the world in December.”
The Stonehenge site attracts around 900,000 people each year and only around 30 per cent of those are from the UK. It shows that people are willing to travel to see our heritage and so with the visitor centre offering a background about the stones, this number could increase significantly.
