Stonehenge World Heritage site | PDF | 511.00 KB - English Heritage

What has been done so far?
Normanton Down barrow
cemetery. In 2003 the crops
were replaced by pasture.
The burial mounds are now
free of fences and grazed by
sheep while the surrounding
grassland is managed as a
nature reserve by the RSPB.
Grass restoration, funded by
stewardship grants from
Natural England, has been
hugely successful.
Many of the objectives of the 2000 Management Plan have
been achieved:
■ Since 2000, landowners have restored 520 hectares of
arable fields to grassland to prevent plough damage and enhance
the setting of prehistoric monuments, as part of an exemplary
partnership project between Natural England, English Heritage
and the National Trust
■ Oak signs featuring the World Heritage emblem and
indicating distances to monuments were installed in 2004
■ Scrub and woodland have been cleared from many
monuments thanks to the National Trust, the Ministry of
Defence, the RSPB, landowners and volunteers
■ A virtual tour of 10 monuments was created for the English
Heritage website in 2004 with panoramic views, videos and
reconstructions
■ The Stonehenge Archaeological Research Framework,
outlining what we know so far and research priorities, was
published in 2005
■ Recent archaeological research has led to major
discoveries including new monuments
■ New educational activities on site and downloadable web
resources have been created
■ Volunteering opportunities in conservation and
education are now available with the National Trust, English
Heritage and the RSPB
2000 © English Heritage
Pupils from Amesbury on a school trip to Stonehenge - Did you know that
English Heritage provides free entry to Stonehenge for learning groups?
What is in the pipeline?
Some objectives of the new Management Plan for the next
10 years include:
■ Continuing to conserve and enhance the prehistoric
monuments through grass restoration, scrub clearance, etc
■ Removing or screening inappropriate structures or roads, in
particular the A344, and keep the A303 improvements under
review
■ Providing improved visitor facilities
■ Further improving the interpretation and education provision
■ Creating a network of sign-posted routes to help people
explore the World Heritage Site
■ Conducting a new condition survey to monitor the
conservation of the World Heritage Site monuments since the
first survey carried out in 2002
Stonehenge World Heritage Site
Hundreds of prehistoric monuments
A unique testimony to prehistoric times
Rachel Foster 2004 © English Heritage
Stonehenge World Heritage Site
Stonehenge
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
Main archaeological
monuments
Rights of way and
permissive paths
National Trust open access
Main roads
Other roads
River Avon
Km
Stonehenge and Woodhenge (both in the care of English Heritage) and
some of the National Trust estate (see map above) are accessible to the
public. The rest of the World Heritage Site is in private ownership and
access is restricted to public rights of way and permissive paths.
To explore the landscape, check out the National Trust website for guided
walks and downloadable trails. Getting to Stonehenge without a
car is possible: there is a regular bus service from Salisbury train station
(the Stonehenge Tour).
Further information:
www.english-heritage.org.uk/stonehenge
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Published by English Heritage, 2010
stonehengewhs@english-heritage.org.uk
©Crown Copyright and database right 2010. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100019088
Publication 51615 © English Heritage 2010 Printed on recycled paper
Cover photograph: James O Davies 2007 © English Heritage
Stonehenge
World Heritage Site

Why is Stonehenge a World Heritage Site?
Stonehenge and Avebury became a World Heritage Site
in 1986 for their outstanding prehistoric monuments from
the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods.
Stonehenge (3000-1600 BC) is the most famous and
sophisticated stone circle in the world, aligned on the
solstice sunrise and sunset.
Ancient and mysterious, Stonehenge
is also an amazing feat of prehistoric
engineering.
James O Davies 2004 © English Heritage
What are World Heritage Sites?
They are cultural and natural sites of
outstanding universal value, like the
Pyramids, the Taj Mahal, the Great
Barrier Reef and Hadrian’s Wall.
By signing the World Heritage
Convention, governments pledge to
identify, interpret and protect these
sites for the benefit of all humanity. The
prestigious label is given by UNESCO
after nomination by governments.
What is the Stonehenge Management Plan?
To meet UNESCO’s guidelines, the UK government requires
all its World Heritage Sites to have a Management Plan.
The Stonehenge Management Plan sets out a vision and
a long-term strategy to protect the World Heritage Site for
present and future generations.
Its primary aim is to protect the prehistoric monuments and
their landscape setting, taking into account other interests such
as tourism, farming, research and nature conservation.
The A344 cuts across the Avenue, a ceremonial route
leading into the stone circle. Removing the road and improving
the setting of Stonehenge are priorities.
Isabelle Bedu 2010 © English Heritage
In 2009, Stonehenge welcomed over
900,000 visitors. Access inside the
stone circle stopped in 1978 because
of overcrowding and erosion… but
it’s still possible to go into the circle
outside opening hours if you book in
advance with English Heritage.
Several round barrows are aligned on an earlier long
barrow at the Winterbourne Stoke barrow cemetery,
illustrating the long period of use of this landscape
between around 3,700 and 1,600 BC.
The surrounding landscape contains many other prehistoric
monuments, such as the Avenue, the Cursus, Woodhenge and
Durrington Walls. Like Stonehenge, their exact function remains
unknown. Also significant is the exceptional concentration of
burial mounds (over 350 in the World Heritage Site).
The Avebury part of the World Heritage Site, about 30km
north, includes an immense stone circle, avenues, long barrows
and other outstanding prehistoric monuments such as Silbury
Hill. The finds from excavations at Stonehenge and Avebury can
be seen at the museums in Salisbury, Devizes and Avebury.
Roger Featherstone 1993 © English Heritage
Who is involved in the management of the
Stonehenge World Heritage Site?
The Stonehenge World Heritage Site covers 2,600 hectares
(6,500 acres) of chalk downland and arable fields in Wiltshire.
It includes part of Amesbury and Larkhill, and the villages of West
Amesbury, Normanton, Wilsford and Lake in the
Woodford Valley.
Ownership and management are shared between English
Heritage, the National Trust, the Ministry of Defence, the RSPB,
Wiltshire Council, farmers and householders. Many others are
also actively involved and work in partnership at Stonehenge,
including Natural England, the Highways Agency, Amesbury
Town Council and the Parish Councils. A Stonehenge World
Heritage Site Coordinator oversees and helps to implement the
Management Plan.
Major discoveries - One of the highlights of recent archaeological research was the
discovery of Neolithic houses at Durrington Walls in 2005 and a new henge by the river Avon
in 2008 (pictured). Free guided tours of the excavations were organised for the local
community every summer between 2005 and 2008.
"Excellent, very exciting. All these years didn't realise what was beneath my feet"
Resident of Durrington, summer 2008
2009 © Kate Fielden
The Stonehenge World Heritage Site covers 26 km 2 and contains more than 400 protected
prehistoric monuments. It is also a farmed and living landscape.
The Plan outlines the significance of the site, key issues,
long-term aims and policies. It contains a detailed action plan,
maps and much supporting information in appendices.
Published in 2009 after wide consultation, it has been
endorsed by the UK government, by key stakeholders, and
by Wiltshire Council as guidance for planning applications.
It replaces the first Management Plan published in 2000.
It’s not just about Stonehenge…
wild flowers, insects and rare birds
are taken into account in the
management of the site.
Lucy Evershed 2007 © National Trust
Amazing artefacts such as this
gold lozenge from Bush Barrow
are on display in the museums in
Salisbury and Devizes.
© Wiltshire Heritage Museum
Rachel Foster 2003 © English Heritage
What is the vision for the future?
The Stonehenge World Heritage Site is globally
important not just for Stonehenge, but for its
unique and dense concentration of outstanding
prehistoric monuments and sites, which together
form a landscape without parallel.
We will care for and safeguard this special area and
its archaeology and will provide a more tranquil,
biodiverse and rural setting for it, allowing present
and future generations to enjoy it and the landscape
more fully. We will also ensure that its special
qualities are presented, interpreted and enhanced
where necessary, so that visitors can better
understand the extraordinary achievements of the
prehistoric peoples who left us this rich legacy.
(extract from the Stonehenge Management Plan 2009)
1994 © Crown Copyright NMR 15041_26