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From Wiltshire by Nikolaus Pevsner
Revised by Bridget Cherry (1975) Yale University Press, New Haven and
London:
Stonehenge is probably the most celebrated prehistoric monument in
Western Europe. ... Standing on a slight eminence, but clearly not chosen
for its commanding position, the stones appear dwarfed against the
background of rolling downland. Once within the great sarsen circle
however the massive quality of the structure is immediately apparent. The
weathering of the tooled surfaces and the mellow tones of the stones
create an impression of permanence, and even the fallen uprights and
trilithons, half buried beneath the turf, have the appearance of patterns
and order. ... Its moods are as varied as our climate.
The design is essentially composed of two circles
enclosing two series of standing stones, each in the shape of a
horseshoe. The whole is surrounded by circular earthworks. The
construction took place in three main phases between roughly 3000BC and
1600BC, but the dates are constantly being reviewed following further
studies.
Map
of structure
History
of the construction
Stonehenge is managed by
English Heritage
(visitor information and description)
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